Gettin' By (RE-UPLOAD)
by KryptoKin
Summary: Watch as Katherine "Kate" Kane enters a new phase in her life as a superhero and as a business owner. But more importantly, watch her as she deals with what it's like to be friends with none other than Supergirl. Oh, and maybe deal with her feelings for Supergirl's alter ego Linda Lee-Danvers, too. Originally published in 2012.
1. Preface

**READ THIS BEFORE MOVING TO THE FIRST CHAPTER**

 **Fun fact. This series was started in 2012 and finished in 2014. Before then, I hadn't written any fan-fiction since I was in middle school/ early high school for the TV series Smallville.**

 **DC Comics had just started their New 52 reboot (most of which was atrocious). The few good series were Supergirl (at first), Wonder Woman, and Batwoman. Batwoman had some of the best cover art I had ever seen and a series of fascinating storylines. This was when the idea hit me of wondering what it would be like if Supergirl (my all-time fave) and Batwoman met and worked together. It's something never seen in the comics.**

 **Since I was frustrated with a teenager Supergirl, I decided to up her age to late 20s. I think she turns 28 in** _ **The Other Side of the Story**_ **(** _ **TOSofS**_ **). Basically, you have a well-seasoned Supergirl working with a well-seasoned Batwoman. When I started it, I thought it might be a one-shot. Then I thought it would only be 10, maybe 13, chapters. There are 20.**

 **From this story** _ **TOSotS**_ **, which is** _ **Gettin' By (GB)**_ **from the perspective of Linda Lee-Danvers/Supergirl, was created. And of course, their sequel is** _ **Supergirl: Red, White, & Blonde**_ **. I was writing** _ **GB**_ **when the storyline for** _ **S: RW &B**_ **blossomed. I realized how I wanted to end my three-part sequel in the early process of** _ **TOSofS**_ **.**

 **So, why am I re-publishing a story I took off the internet YEARS ago for various reasons/convictions? Because Batwoman is coming to the CWTV DC universe. And since their version of Kara is rather similar to my version of her, I wanted to re-publish to see if their version of Batwoman will bear any resemblance to mine.**

 **For those who read this story years ago, it is the same with major improvements on grammar and writing. (My writing style has changed somewhat over the past 4-6 years.) If you're reading** _ **S: RW &B**_ **, it might fill in some blanks as to why Kate has such strong feelings for Kara and their emotional connection.**


	2. Chapter 1

Three weeks. It's been three weeks since anything big has happened in Gotham. Three weeks of being bored out of my mind.

Three weeks ago, the Joker was captured and put in Arkham Asylum along with Harley Quinn. Since then, there's been no activity on the streets. Just small stuff. Armed robbery, drive by shootings, muggings, murders committed by gangs and the non-criminally insane. Normal stuff… for Gotham anyway.

My earpiece goes off. I flinch in surprise. "Geez Oracle, try not to scare me." I can hear Barbara laugh on the other side of the line. She's usually quite serious, but recently she's been more playful.

" _I didn't know you could get scared._ _I just want to know how it's going out there. I've got nothing on the monitors."_

"Same here."

" _It's been like this for weeks. It's like the Joker told everyone to wait until he got out."_

"I think they realized when the Joker is running about Batman is too occupied with him to bother with them."

" _That's why he has you and everyone else."_

"I guess. I just hope nothing-" An explosion five blocks away rattles the building where I'm perched. From the location, it might be the First National Bank of Gotham. "Looks like it won't be a quiet night, after all."

 **XXX**

"The Mad Hatter broke out of Arkham." The plastic of my coffee's to-go cup is touching my lips and I'm mid-sip when she says it. I stop and set it down on the table with a muted clink.

"When?"

"Last night. We're not sure how but we are confident it has to do with his old group."

"I thought the Tweedles and the others were in custody?"

"They escaped before being locked up." Captain Maggie Sawyer talks about criminals like other people talk about the weather. I want to ask her more questions, but her cell beeps with a text. "I've got to go, Kate. I'll see you later."

I get up to say goodbye, but she's gone before I can even slide back my chair. I sigh and lean back in it. Maggie and I have been at odds for a while. Her work and my crime fighting have put a strain on our friendship, amongst other things. I look around the café and see a familiar face. I smile and get up to go talk to her. When I'm halfway to her table, a guy moves from his seat and I notice she isn't alone. Some brunette in glasses is sitting with her. They look chummy, too.

Barbara finally sees me and waves. The brunette looks up from her coffee. Her brow crinkles for a moment and her head tilts when she sees me. "Hi, Kate. Fancy meeting you here."

"Hi, Barbara. I was enjoying some coffee when I noticed you."

"Do you normally drink two coffees at the same time?" Barbara's friend says this to me while fiddling with her coffee, which had two containers of cream and three packs of sugar added to it since I came to the table. I look down and realize not only did I grab my coffee but Maggie's too.

"What? Oh, no. I was having coffee with a friend, but she had to leave."

"Well, would like to join us?" asks Barbara.

"No, I was about to leave anyway when I saw you."

"Eh-hem. Babs, aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?" says the brunette. I watch her as she looks up at me and takes a sip of her sugar and cream-saturated coffee.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Kate Kane, meet Linda Lee-Danvers, an old friend of mine."

"Old? We hardly qualify as being old Babs." Barbara makes a face at Linda, who just rolls her eyes.

"I meant we've been friends for a long time."

"How did you two meet?" I ask.

"At college. I was starting my masters when Linda was a freshman at Metropolis University." I look at Linda. She did look younger than Barbara, but just a tad.

"Metropolis University, that's a hard college to get into."

Linda gives a smug smile. "It helps to be smart and have family in Metropolis."

"Linda's cousin lives there," Barbara clarifies. "He actually works for the Daily Planet, like Linda."

Now _this_ impresses me. "You work for the Daily Planet?"

The smugness from a second ago is gone and she shrugs before she leans back in her seat. "It's not as big a deal as you think. Barb just likes to boast about it."

"I wouldn't have to if you did it yourself." Linda rolls her eyes from behind her thick black glasses.

While standing there, I get a good look at her. Her curly, brown hair is long and pretty, but it would look better if it wasn't up in a hair-tie. Her eyes are hidden behind black, thick-rimmed glasses that keep sliding down her nose. Even with her dorky glasses, it doesn't hide the fact her skin is flawless. And even though she is sitting I can tell that she's tall. I don't get why someone who might have a chance to be gorgeous would hide herself behind such a geeky look. But it has nothing to do with me and I mentally shrug it off and forget about it.

"You know Kate, Barbara and I did meet at college, but it wasn't at the library or in a class." I pop out of my thoughts and pay attention to what Linda is saying. "Barb and I actually met at a fundraising gala. My cousin and his partner were covering the gala for the Daily Planet. His partner thought it would be nice for me to come, so she gave me a press badge and snuck me in. Barbara was there because she was covering the event for one of her classes. We ended up talking about some stupid sculpture and became instant friends. We've been practically inseparable ever since." Barbara and Linda smile at each other.

I'm about to tell Barbara I need to go but Linda beats me to it. "I'm sorry Babs, it's the office." She holds her cellphone up. "I've got to go. We'll continue our conversation tonight at dinner." Linda stands and puts her hand out to shake mine. I'm knew she was tall, but I'm taken back by how much I need to tilt my head to properly look her in the eyes. Linda is at least a good two or three inches taller than me, even with her slight slouch. I grab her hand in mine and shake. Her hand is warm, almost hot. "Nice to meet you, Miss Kane. I hope we meet again. See ya, Babs." Linda takes her bag off her chair and slings it over her shoulder. She stumbles a little to the right from the weight of it. "See ya."

I watch Linda Lee-Danvers walk out the door and head down the sidewalk while pulling out her cell and calling whoever messaged her. "So, Kate," I look down at Barbara, "what do you think of Linda?" I look outside at the passing cars and people walking to and from places.

"She's nice… if you like brunettes."

* * *

 **To this day, that last line is still one of my favorites. Maybe because it kicked off six years of me getting back into the swing of writing fiction. Also, the Maggie I'm writing is the one you've seen in the comics and on Superman: The Animated Series; she's tall and blonde.**


	3. Chapter 2

I've only been patrolling for three hours and I've already stopped two muggings, one attempt to steal a car, and one attempted rape. I'm perched on top of the Gotham Cathedral overlooking the city when Oracle beeps at me.

" _How's it going Batwoman?"_

"Fine, looks like word of Hatter's escape finally spread."

" _I figured as much. The police have been working overtime tonight."_

"And, so will I." I huff. "I'm not going to get much sleep tonight, am I?"

" _Actually, I thought about that."_ I can hear Barbara giggle, which is weird. _"I called in for a little back-up."_

"Back-up? I don't need back-up."

" _Yes, you do. So, I asked someone if they could come help you."_

"Who?"

"Me." I spin around to see a pair of feet a couple yards from my face. I follow the feet up to see they belong to none other than Supergirl. "Hello, Batwoman. I hope I didn't startle you?" I don't want to admit she did, so I shake my head. "That's good." Supergirl descends onto the church's roof. "Oracle called me and said you might need help tonight." Just as she's mentioned, Oracle pops in my ear.

" _What do you think? Is she cool or what?"_ Supergirl moves to stand next to me and looks over the ledge at the city below.

"It's hard to say. I've only just met her."

" _You'll like her, Batwoman, trust me. She won't let you down."_

"How can I be sure of that?"

" _Because she's never let me down."_ I look at Supergirl scanning the city. I'm curious how much of the city she can actually see with that super-vision of hers. Speaking of super-powers, I'm certain she can hear everything Barbara is saying to me. I walk around the corner and lean against one of the gargoyles that protects the church.

"Just because you trust her doesn't mean I do."

" _I know, I know. Look, if you don't trust her that's fine, but she is going to help you."_

"Can't someone else help me with the patrol?"

Barbara sighs. _"No, and that's final."_ She cuts the connection before I can give a rebuttal. I sigh and pull my shoulders back so I can face Supergirl. To my surprise, she's standing a couple feet from me. With her so close, I can take in her appearance without being too obvious.

She's dressed in what I assume is her official Kryptonian robe. It's all white and stops at her ankles. She stands tall—at least 5'9"—with her arms crossed in front of her. Her long, blonde hair is wavy and stops a few inches below her shoulders. Her hair covers a golden band that seems to wrap around her head and sits an inch above her eyebrows. But out of all her features, the one that amazes me the most are her eyes. They're light blue and remind me of Caribbean waters. And it's not just the color that amazes me but how intense they are. It feels like she is looking straight through me at my soul.

"Is there something you want?" I ask her.

She raises an eyebrow at me and shakes her head. "I just thought you should know why you're stuck with me."

"And?"

"Batman is on a mission with the League, Nightwing is with the Outsiders, Red Robin is in Star City with Speedy, and Batgirl and Robin are investigating the Mad Hatter's escape."

"And what about the 'Super' family?"

"Superman is on a mission for the League as well and Superboy is with Shazam and Miss Martian. Are you satisfied?"

"For now. But aren't you supposed to be in DC or something?"

"I was but Wonder Woman was called into the League to handle an issue in Greece, and Kazakhstan doesn't trust Wonder Girl enough to finish the peace talks between them. So, with nothing to do, I answered Oracle's call and came here." When I move past Supergirl, I make sure to knock her in the shoulder. Bad idea. _Really_ bad idea. As soon as my shoulder hits hers a pain shoots through my arm. Invulnerability, right. I act like my arm isn't throbbing as I move to the other side of the gargoyle.

"How long are you going to be helping?" I feel Supergirl move behind me and stand on my left.

"As long as I'm needed." Great, she'll be around for a while. I peer over the ledge at the cars and occasional person.

"What-" Before I even finished my sentence Supergirl takes off at super-speed and almost knocks me off the building. I stand there in shock for a few minutes before she speeds back next to me and almost knocks me off the ledge again.

"Sorry, there was a robbery at a jewelry store and another at a department store I had to handle." I look at Supergirl. She's standing tall and fierce. Her face is serious and her eyes cold and stoic. To her, this is just another job and I'm just her temporary partner.

 **XXX**

It's late in the afternoon. I'm standing outside my new store waiting for the previous owner to show up and give me the keys. I decided to open a store to make it easier for me to do my job as Batwoman. I wasn't sure what it should be at first, but when Barbara mentioned how much I love books it hit me to open a book store. I just had to get suppliers and such. It's a good thing I'm rich.

"Kate!" I look to my left and see Barbara's friend, Linda Lee-Danvers, across the street waving to me. She looks both ways before she crosses. "Hi Kate, remember me? We met yesterday at the coffee shop. I'm Barb's friend."

"I remember you." I shake her hand. It's hot in mine like it was yesterday.

"Cool, I was walking down the street when I recognized you by your red hair. What are you doing outside a closed store?"

"I'm waiting for the previous owner to come and give me the keys."

"Oh, are you opening your own shop?" Linda shifts the bag she had yesterday from one shoulder to the other. She struggles with the weight as she moves it to the other side.

"Yes."

She raises an eyebrow at me then smiles. "You're not much of a talker are you, Kate?"

"Not with people I don't know."

Linda laughs and sticks her hands in her jacket pockets. "I know what you mean. Sorry, I'm just curious. Which helps me do my job, but most people don't like when I fire off questions at them."

"I know what you mean."

Linda laughs again then looks at her watch. "Look, I've got an interview to go to. It was nice seeing you again, Kate." She's halfway turned from me when I grab her arm. I'm surprised by what I feel through the jacket. You can't tell from her clothes, but she has strong arms underneath all those layers. It feels like I'm holding onto a steel bar. When she faces me again I let go of her arm.

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to ask you something."

"Oh, okay." Suddenly, I forget what I want to ask and instead ask for her number. The raise of her eyebrows tells me she's surprised by my question but, agrees to give it to me. She pulls out a pen from her jacket's breast pocket and writes her number on my palm. It feels weird having my hand held by her hands. They're warm and feel surprisingly strong. "There you go. I'll see you around, Kane." She winks at me then walks away. As soon as she disappears around a corner I feel a pair of arms wrap around my shoulders and someone practically jump on my back.

"So, who's the chick, Kate?" Stephanie Brown slides herself in front of me. Her blonde hair blows around her face from her erratic movements.

"Just a friend of Barbara." Stephanie looks back in the direction of where Linda disappeared then at me.

"She seems a bit uptight and nerdy to be a friend of Babs."

"Exactly." I smile at Stephanie, who just shrugs and pulls out a Nutri-Grain bar from her pocket. She waits with me until the previous owner shows up an hour late with the keys to my new store.

* * *

 **When this was first written, Shazam was still Captain Marvel. Greece also had declared bankruptcy, which is subtly referenced with Diana heading to Greece to handle a situation.**


	4. Chapter 3

**Most of the editing is improvement on flow, grammar, and a few other descriptive additions. For the most part, the original format is still here.**

 **AKA, my style changed dramatically after I finished this piece.**

* * *

Stephanie sticks around for the afternoon. She helps me make sure there's no hidden damage to deal with later. Except for a broken pipe in the boiler room, all is good. While we're cleaning I call Maggie to see if she can meet for dinner tonight.

" _I'm sorry, Kate, with the Hatter lose crime has gone up. I've got too much on my plate right now. Maybe next time."_

"Sure," I tell her then hang up.

"Everything okay?" Steph is coming down the stairs with an armful empty, large boxes. "That was a loud sigh."

"It's Maggie. She can't join me for dinner. Too busy with the Hatter loose and such." I tap my phone against my left hand. "By the way, how are you and Damian handling things?"

"Fine. We found out where he likes to hang. There were some thugs there. We tied them up and called the police. I doubt the Hatter will be showing his large nose there again." Steph drops the box in the pile we've created in the corner of the back room then darts upstairs to grab more. There was a small closet filled with them on the second floor. She figured I could use them to pack my things in. "By the way!" Steph yells from the second floor. "What are you gonna do with this room up here? There's a stove, a fridge, and a bathroom. Why don't you move in?" Steph doesn't yell out the last question because she's already downstairs.

"I like my apartment. Besides, what if someone spots me coming into this building in my uniform? With the neighbors being so close, they might connect the dots."

"First off, that like never happens and second, it would cut down the cost for you. You wouldn't have to pay for an apartment _and_ a shop."

"I'll think about it. For now, I'll use it for storage and an office." Steph shrugs and heads back up to get the last of the boxes. I walk behind the counter and turn on the 8" portable TV the past owner threw in for free. I flip through the channels but all I get are two for kids and the news. I settle for the latter and turn up the volume. Vicky Vale with her flowing red hair and green blazer stands in front of the Gotham police department doing a news piece. Due to the fuzzy picture and crackling sound quality of the TV, I lean in to hear what is going on.

" _Thank you, Gerald, but as I was saying, the death of Officer Thomas Moore was one that took everyone's breath away. We all know Gotham City has the highest rate of cop deaths in the country, but no one expected this. Officer Moore was a desk worker. His job was simple and involved mostly paperwork with little field work. So, when Officer Moore was discovered murdered in his own home it didn't make sense. Sources say Moore was working on his own private investigation that involved Intergang and their presence in Gotham City. Luckily for the police, Moore kept his work backed-up and hidden in different locations. But unfortunately, because he did that, Intergang may also have the information."_ Vicky stops for a few seconds to listen to the information being fed through her earpiece.

" _This just in ladies and gentlemen. We have received word the man responsible for giving Moore his information is in protective custody of the police and will be kept there until those accused are brought to justice. This has been Vicky Vale giving you the afternoon news."_ The camera cuts to the two news anchors. They start commenting on what Vicky has said. I turn the TV off at that point and stand up straight.

"I think we know what Maggie is so busy with tonight," says Steph, who is sitting on the counter and eating another Nutri-Grain bar

"And now, so do I."

 **XXX**

I'm hunched over and watching the rear entrance of the police department. I've been here for an hour at the most and my back is cramping a bit. The air in the city has finally taken on a fall feel to it with its low night time temperatures and nippy winds. The wind plays with the ends of the ginger wig attached to the inside of my cowl.

"You know they already moved him, right?"

Without thinking I spin around and kick the person behind me. To my surprise, they avoid my kick when they drop the ground. Earlier tonight, Barbara told Stephanie and Damian to go on basic patrol and leave the Hatter for tomorrow. Damian grumbled about it and surprisingly so did Stephanie, but they did as they were told. And I wasn't expecting Supergirl because Barbara told me she had business to handle in Metropolis. Lying on the ground, her glasses slightly askew, is Linda. She huffs as she fixes her glasses and puts a hand out for help. I'm about to reach out but stop myself. She stares at me for a few moments then gets off the ground on her own.

"You're not as friendly as Batgirl or Nightwing. You, Batman, and the little Robin are the more stoic types." She twists her back as she stands but nothing cracks. She's wiping the dust off her butt and legs when I remember what she said.

"Wait, you said they already moved him. Is that true?" She looks at me and fixes her glasses again.

"Of course. The news report done by Vicky Vale was a fake. Well, actually it was true, just a few days behind."

"Why?"

"To throw off Intergang."

"Do you think it worked?" Linda scans the area around us then without warning pulls me down behind a half-wall.

"Shhh." She points to the building next to us. I slowly turn my head and peak around the wall to try and see what she sees. I don't see anything. Before I even open my mouth to ask what we're looking at, she places a finger on my lips and points over there again. It takes me a minute to finally see what she sees. There's someone dressed in all black and from the looks of it they are setting up a gun. I feel Linda's arm reach around me and put a notebook in my face.

 **His name is Night Shadow. He's a new assassin that rivals even Deadshot. Rumor has it he was hired by Intergang to take out the witness. Looks like he fell for the** **report.**

I write a few comments and hand the notebook back to her. I hear her chuckle and the pen drag across the paper as she writes her reply. Night Shadow is in place and ready for the 'witness' to come out the back. A civilian car is waiting for him. I don't recognize it. Before Linda showed up, I saw the outline of a cop in the driver's seat, and if I know my outlines, it's Maggie. I feel Linda shift closer and hand me the notebook.

 **I'm sure Batman got made fun for the same thing. No one knows for sure if he's human or meta-human. Either way, I wouldn't take my chances. They'll be transporting the "witness" in two minutes once you finish reading this. I'd get ready if I were you. Even Supergirl couldn't catch this sucker.**

I hand the notebook to Linda and position myself to attack. I look over my shoulder to get her to move back, but she's already a good six feet away from me. I guess as a reporter she's learned how to get around without being heard. I put my attention back on Night Shadow. He hasn't moved since he positioned for the kill. I try to figure out the angle of the rifle, so I can know what he's waiting for, when I feel something hit my wig. At my feet is a balled sheet of paper from Linda.

 **He's not aiming at the witness he's aiming for the driver. He'll shoot once the car moves past the first dumpster. He needs the momentum.**

I'm amazed by Linda's math skills and intuition. Another paper ball lands at my feet.

 **By the way, he knows we're here.**

Great, I don't have the element of surprise on my side. He may know I'm here, but he doesn't know what I am capable, nor does he know I know what his objective is. If he's aiming for the driver, Intergang must want the witness alive. Since he knows I'm here, I shift my body to be in a better position to attack. As I reach back for a bat-a-rang I get hit with another paper ball. I open it quickly and I'm surprised at what it says.

 **Don't hit Shadow. Use your imagination.**

I give her a look that hopefully projects irritation I'm feeling. She smiles at me and winks. I'm not sure what to do with Linda. Suddenly, the back doors of the police department open. Two uniformed officers, and a young detective I don't know, escorts a man with a hood over his face. They move cautiously as they get in the car but not before the detective checks underneath it and the hood for explosive devices. He even checks the trunk. Smart guy. All three of them get in the car with the detective in the front passenger seat. Maggie starts the car.

This is my moment.

Based on what Linda said, Night Shadow will likely aim for the back of the driver's head. When the hood aligns with the corner of the dumpster, I react. In one swift motion I throw my weapon into the tire. It ruptures, and the car swerves left. I see the shot before I hear it. It hits the back window and pierces the glass. My heart stops as soon as it does. I may have saved Maggie but now the "witness" might be dead. I move away from the scene and jump over the ledge to attack Night Shadow.

He's gone. The seconds between his shot and my movements were few, yet he's nowhere in sight. His gun is there and his equipment. but Night Shadow is gone... and so is Linda.


	5. Chapter 4

I cringe when I hear another smash behind me.

"You know that's the third vase you'll have to replace, right?"

"Shut-up, Kate!" I don't take it personally when she yells at me. Ever since she got home, Maggie has been pitching a fit. Bullock and Gordon chewed her out about the almost loss of their "witness." I'm actually mad too. If I hadn't messed up with Night Shadow, the bullet wouldn't have just missed the "witness" and hit the other detective who—I found out—was from Metropolis. After Linda and Shadow disappeared, I wasted no time checking on Maggie. She was fine, but the other detective was sent to the hospital with a wound to his left shoulder. While helping with the aftermath, I (Batwoman) explained to Maggie what happened. I left out Linda's involvement.

Maggie put two and two together and realized it was Batwoman's fault the detective was hit. That alone let lose the monster inside of her and she yelled at me. The car crashing didn't bring out any cops in the department, but Maggie's yelling sure did. As soon as I got out of there, I took off for my apartment. At least I got to stop a mugging along the way. When I got home, my phone had three missed calls: one from Barbara, one from Maggie, and one surprisingly from Linda Lee-Danvers. Barbara wanted to know what happened at the precinct, Maggie wanted to vent, and Linda wanted to get together tomorrow to talk about a story she was doing. She called me just after I left for patrol.

I changed quickly and jumped in my car. I called Maggie and told her I was on my way. After I hung up, I called Linda and left a voice message (surprise, surprise), and then I called Barbara. She didn't pick up either but I didn't bother to leave a message. And now here I am, sitting on Maggie's couch and flipping through the latest issue of People magazine while she throws a fit.

"I swear if I ever see Batwoman again, I'll tear her eyes out." I picture Maggie ripping out my eyes, and then unmasking me. It's a little disturbing and slightly satisfying, the look on her face that is. "What's with the smile?" I look at Maggie who is standing in front of me with her arms crossed.

"Just picturing you attacking Batwoman. That'd be an interesting sight." Maggie rolls her eyes then continues venting the rest of the night. She finishes around one in the morning and falls asleep on the couch. I grab the pillows and comforter from her bedroom and tuck her in. I turn back to look at the sleeping Maggie as I leave then lock and shut her door behind me.

 **XXX**

It's been four days since the incident at the police department. Maggie has yet to talk to me since then, except for an occasional text or phone call. She's been too busy with protecting the witness. Stephanie and Damian finally caught the Mad Hatter along with the rest of the Wonderland gang, and Bruce, Richard, and Tim are still on their respective missions. With Stephanie and Damian free to help with patrol, I felt no need for Supergirl to be around to help me. But I did want to thank her. She had shown up yesterday and the day before to help with the patrol. It was actually because of her that Stephanie and Damian caught the Mad Hatter.

When she was patrolling with me her super-hearing picked up an attempted robbery at an antique store that happened to hold a mint-condition, original copy of Alice in Wonderland. I informed Batgirl and Robin of it and they made the arrest.

Though Supergirl had been around a few days, I had grown accustomed to her presence. It was nice having someone with her level of power around. In fact, and I didn't realize this until after she came back, I found myself looking for news of her on television and in the newspaper. The only news I found was in the Gotham Gazette. The morning edition had a small article on the peace talks with Kazakhstan and the return of Wonder Woman from her League mission. There was no mention of Supergirl. I was surprised to see the article had been written by Linda. I wondered why she hadn't gotten back to me yet.

Barbara got back to me the day after the incident and she was disappointed with my performance. I met up with her the following night at the Bat Cave to explain what happened, not as an excuse but so she would know what took place. She had heard of Night Shadow but was surprised when I mentioned Linda.

"And you, an experienced crime fighter, a former West Point student, decided to trust her and do what she said?" I was ashamed because all I could do to answer her was nod. "Perhaps Linda had more of an effect on you than you think." Barbara had a point. Linda had seared herself into my mind and was beginning to run rampant through my thoughts.

This morning, I head to my store to get work done. It took me three days to get it to the condition it is now. The last checkmark need on to-do list is to finalize my contracts. Right now, the store is only half-filled with books. I'm in the back of the store fixing a desk for the study section desk when I hear the front door open. I didn't realize I left it unlocked.

"We're closed!" I sigh when I don't hear the down open again. "Be with you in a minute!" I yell from under the desk. I'm trying to remove a rusted nut from its bolt when my hand slips and slams into the desk. "Dammit!"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Is that anyway for a lady to talk?" I slide out from under the desk and find Linda standing over me and smiling.

"It is when she slams her hand into a metal desk." I slide back under and start working again.

"I see." Linda sets her bag on a chair and squats. "You have your work cut out for you, mind if I help?" Before I can say anything, she gets on her back and joins me under the desk and then takes the wrench out of my hand. I watch as she loosens the nut easily by using her left hand to turn the wrench. It's a little—no, _extremely_ —awkward because the bolt is in front of my face and Linda is leaning heavily on me.

"How do you do that so quickly?" Linda uses her fingers at a certain point to get the nut off. When it's finally off, she places it on my stomach. I flinch as soon as does.

"Sorry, I had nowhere else to put it." She moves on to the next nut and bolt. "When I lived in Kansas, I would visit my cousin's farm as much as possible. While there, his father would have me do odd jobs. One of them was to take apart an old tractor that needed to be fixed. I guess doing them built up my hand strength."

"Don't you live in Metropolis now?"

"I do, but I still visit Smallville from time to time."

"Smallville?

Linda smiles. "Hah, that's the name of the town my cousin lived in. I actually lived in Kansas City." Linda shifts to work on the third nut and bolt set, which puts her head next to my stomach.

"Who's your cousin?" I take deep breaths to keep calm.

"Clark Kent." I jump. With Linda being so close, I hadn't notice my shirt ride up. And when she turned her head to speak her breath floated across my skin. "Kate, are you okay. That's the second time you've jumped."

"Sorry, I had a spasm in my back." A spasm in my back? Seriously?

"It must be from being under here for so long. How 'bout we get up and stretch?" Within seconds, I push out from under the desk and stand. Linda does the same and starts to get up. I reach down and yank her arm to help her, but Linda's weight yanks back and pulls me down on top of her. From there, everything runs in slow motion, right up to my head hitting Linda's and everything going black.

* * *

 **It was either this chapter or the next one where I realize this fix was gonna be more than 10 chapters.**


	6. Chapter 5

" _Kate… Kate… Wake-up, Kate."_ Slowly, I open my right eye then my left. I rub the bleariness from them to see I'm in my bedroom. The curtains are drawn back, and sunlight is flooding the room. A painful pulse runs up the back of my head as I try to sit up, which makes me lie down again. As I press on my skull, I realize I can hear classical music playing probably coming from my kitchen radio. There's also the sound of dishes clinking and water running. I didn't wash my dishes from last night or this morning.

Great, I'm in my home but I don't know how I got here and there is someone playing music I don't like in my kitchen while washing my gross, dirty dishes. Fantastic. The water turns off and the clinking stops. A moment later, footsteps are coming up the hallway. I snuggle in the sheets and pretend like I'm still asleep. I didn't have time to grab the nightstick in my nightstand, but that won't stop me from defending myself if necessary. Next, the smell of something fantastic waves past me and I feel a small weight on my legs.

"You can stop pretending you're asleep, now." I keep my eyes closed and my breath even. I know that voice. "Fine, play dead. I guess I'm gonna have to eat these bacon and eggs all on my lonesome." The weight lifts from my legs. I pop open my right eye. Half-turned from me with a tray of food in her hands is Linda.

"Wait."

Linda stops and looks at me with a big, slightly stupid grin on her face. "Morning, sleepy head. How are you feeling?"

I sit up again; my head still hurts but not as bad as before. "Better than a minute ago."

She laughs and sets the tray in front of me. I sit crisscross and dig in. She smiles before she goes to the windows. When they open it lets in the sounds of birds singing and the smell of freshly baked bread.

"Hold on." I look at my clock. It's 7:15 in the morning. "Oh, that's not funny. Tell me that clock is wrong."

"I'm afraid not." Linda comes over and sits on my bed. "You banged your head pretty hard on that desk." She reaches up and touches the left side of my forehead. I hiss and pull away from her hand. The pain is pulsing through my head again. "I guess it still hurts."

"You think?" I lie down and pull a pillow over my face, the breakfast on my bed forgotten. "How did I get to my apartment?" Linda lifts the tray off me. I guess she places it on the floor because she doesn't get up from the bed.

"After you fell, I checked you out. You were okay, but it worried me that you weren't waking up. I guess the hit to your head was nastier than expected. Anyway, I took your keys and locked up the store for you. Then I took you home."

"How did you know where I lived?"

"I called Barbara and told her what happened. She gave me your address." Great, Barbara is never going to let this go.

"So, you tucked me into bed and left?"

There's the distinct sound of a scoff before she answers. "Of course not. I crashed on your couch waiting for you to wake up." I take the pillow off my face and look at Linda. Unlike usual, her brown hair is down and flowing around her shoulders. It's long and stops right above her breasts. She's wearing PJ pants and a fitted t-shirt. I can see the strap from her exercise bra peeking out the shirt's collar. Her pajamas are all white and with the sunlight shining behind her she looks like an angel.

"Hi." Linda's eyebrows knit briefly before she smiles and pushes her glasses up her nose.

"Hello. Do you want to finish your breakfast?" I nod like a child enamored by her hero and watch Linda lean down to pick the tray off the floor. Her shirt rides up slightly revealing a sliver of skin. As soon as Linda sits up, I turn my eyes to something else. "Katherine, are you okay? Your face is all red." I'm sure I turn a deeper shade at the use of my full name. "Kate, I think you need to eat. If you turn any redder your face will match your hair." I wait until the blood leaves my face and sit up to eat my breakfast. Linda stands up and walks to the foot of my bed. I stop eating and watch her. "By the way, we need to talk. I was going to take you out for a late lunch-slash-early dinner yesterday but the 'you getting knocked out' was kind of a hindrance."

"What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Eat. We'll talk once you're dressed." Linda yawns and stretches her arms over her head. I can see the muscles in her body stretch as her shirt reveals a new sliver of skin. Good Grief. Linda pushes her glasses up her nose and walks out my room. I can hear her bare-feet padding down the hallway to the kitchen. I feel the blush rise from my neck and meet my hairline. I stare at my breakfast and hear the classical music turn up in the kitchen. A cold shower, yes, a cold shower is sorely needed.

 **XXX**

I finish breakfast, which consisted of scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, and orange juice, and jump in the shower. I keep the water as cold as I can handle and clean up. When I leave the shower, it hits me I don't have a change of clothes. I usually dry off a tiny bit then stroll down the hallway naked, but with Linda in the kitchen that wouldn't work. So, I do what I must. I wrap myself with a towel and head to my room. What I don't see coming is Linda being in my room grabbing the breakfast tray. I figured she would have gotten it by now, but no. I'm frozen in place as she bends down to grab the tray and turns around. I expect her to freeze in place at seeing me in nothing but a towel, but without batting an eyelash she smiles and walks towards me. Her warm arm brushes against my cold one as she passes. The shiver that shakes my body must be noticeable. I close the door behind me and drop my towel on the floor. It is going to be a long day.

 **XXX**

By the time I get dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, it's half past eight in the morning. I open my bedroom door and head to the kitchen. The classical station has been changed to pop. My kitchen is wonderfully clean, and Linda is flipping through a newspaper. She doesn't notice me, at least I think she doesn't because when the next song comes on she sings with it. It's not loud but I can hear it from where I'm standing. The song is an old Kelly Clarkson one.

"Don't tell me you like Kelly Clarkson?" Linda jumps in her seat. I laugh and walk into the kitchen. Her eyes narrow at me from behind those thick frames.

"It's not my fault. My sophomore roommate in college was _obsessed_ with her. It was the only music she ever played. And since I didn't have any favorite artists then, I listened to the albums with her. Besides, what's wrong with Kelly Clarkson?"

"Oh, nothing's wrong with her. I just didn't peg you for a Kelly fan."

"Well, you should know by now people are never what they appear to be. I'm a perfect example of that."

"Really? How so?"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk Katherine. We've only just met. I can't reveal all of me to you yet. That would be no fun." Linda winks at me. I look away from her and pretend to look for something to eat in the fridge. I don't dare face her until my blush is gone. "Careful Katherine, if you keep your head in there any longer you'll give me the impression you're just hiding that blush of yours from me." The blush that had been disappearing came back with a vengeance as soon as Linda brought it up. I am a woman at an age I will not divulge, yet I'm blushing like a teenager. This is ridiculous.

Blush or no blush, I grab a carton of apple juice from the fridge and a glass from the cabinets and pour myself a cup. I'm certain the blush is gone by the time I put the carton away and sit across from Linda. She is finishing the Sudoku puzzle in the back of newspaper, already done with the crossword and word search.

"I generally dislike crosswords, but this one was easy," she says while tapping on the puzzle. "The theme was superheroes." I sit and watch Linda finish the puzzle. I'm amazed by how quickly she moves through the word scramblers and another number puzzle. When the last one is solved, she flips to the comics section. "Funny how I work in a newspaper, but my favorite sections are the comics and the puzzles." Linda sends a crooked smile at me and pushes her glasses up her nose.

"You know, what people read tends to tell you about them." Linda looks at me from over her glasses, then folds the paper, places it on the counter, and clasps her hands on it.

"Really? What does all this say about me?"

"Well," I lean forward on the counter and make it look like I'm trying to scrutinize her. "You read the funnies, so that says you have a nice sense of humor, since it's your favorite section. Then there's the puzzle section, and from how fast you finished it you have to be very smart if not brilliant."

"Wow, how... insightful." Linda laughs at me then goes back to reading the paper. It feels strange sitting with her in my kitchen so early in the morning. Oddly enough, it's also quite nice. I don't quickly attach to people. It takes months, even years, for me to be this comfortable with people. But something about Linda invites me in. Her warmth, her personality; I'm not quite sure what it is I like about her.

"Linda." She looks up at me. "I want to apologize for this morning." She's confused by what I'm saying. "I want to apologize about the towel thing."

"Oh… Wait, why do _you_ have to apologize? I'm the one who invaded your room. Besides, after seeing Wonder Woman walk around in the nude so many times, you get used to it." Linda freezes as soon as the words leave her mouth.

"Excuse me?"

"What I-what I meant was that I've been covering the peace talks in DC. That's where I've been the past several days. Anyhow, the only time I could speak to Wonder Woman was in the early morning and she always takes a shower in the morning. Every time I spoke to her, she had just gotten out of the shower. I guess growing up on an island with nothing but women doesn't make you shy."

"I guess." I return to nursing my apple juice while Linda returns to the newspaper. Long day. For sure.


	7. Chapter 6

After breakfast, Linda thought it would be a good idea to go for a walk. I live only a few blocks from the park, so I agreed. After I grab my keys and Linda grabs her things, we take off down the sidewalk and towards the park.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" I ask. Linda shifts her bag and pushes her glasses up her nose.

"I need a favor from you."

"And what would that favor be?"

"Well, you're friends with Captain Margaret Sawyer aren't you?"

"Maggie? Yeah, why? Do you want me to set you two up?" I wink at her.

Linda's nose scrunches. "Hardy-har-har. No, I need you to see if she'll meet with me. I want to talk with her about this Intergang investigation. I've been trying to get in contact with her ever since the witness went into protective custody but she refuses to see me. And every time she does see me, she avoids me."

"I thought you're from Metropolis? How do you know Maggie?"

"I don't know her per se, but I have had a few run-ins with her. Besides, don't you know? Captain Sawyer used to live in Metropolis."

I adjust the knit cap on my head. "Right. That still doesn't explain how you know her."

Linda sighs and scratches at the crown of her head. "Okay, fair enough. I know Maggie because my first story was an arson case. Maggie was part of the SCU and she thought Intergang had something to do with it. We ended up running into each other on one of the previously burned buildings and we sort of hit it off. Anyway, together we solved the case. It wasn't Intergang but a fireman. You see, Metropolis had cut the local fire companies' funding to put into the SCU. So this fireman took it upon himself to start a few fires. The most recent one killed an SCU officer. You know, Maggie used to always make time for me or any reporter but this case must be extremely important for her to refuse to see even me."

"It is. Even _I_ haven't been able to see her let alone talk to her because of it."

"That's too bad. But schedule aside, can you at least ask her out to lunch? She won't say no to you."

"What makes you think that?"

"Because I know her, she has a thing for blondes and red-heads."

"She must have really liked Supergirl then."

"Oh, you have no idea." I'm not sure what Linda means by that and I don't want to ask her either. We've just entered the park when Linda stops and looks at me. "Katherine can you do this for me, please?" There she goes, using my full name again.

"I'll see what I can do." Linda smiles at me then fixes her glasses, which for the umpteenth time since I've met her, have slipped down to the end of her nose.

"Thanks." Gotham Central Park is basically empty this early in the morning. It's beautiful in the park and the way the sun shines through the trees is magnificent. "I've always liked the parks in Gotham. Metropolis only has three, but if my memory serves me right Gotham has seven?"

"Have you been to all of them?"

"Most of 'em. Barb and I would go on these long walks together. We even took a stroll through Amity Park in Suicide Slums."

"You and Barb are really close, aren't you?"

"Barbara Gordon is my best friend. She has always been there for me when I needed her. I just wish I could say the same about myself."

"I don't understand." Linda takes a breath.

"I know Barb always says great things about me, but I don't feel worthy of the praise. When Barbara was shot by the Joker, I was off doing my own thing. I didn't even know about her being paralyzed until _after_ she finished her therapy. What kind of friend isn't there when they're needed?" Linda's shoulders have slumped down more than normal and her blue eyes are on the verge of tears.

I do something I don't expect; I grab Linda and pull her into me. She's stiff in my arms at first then slowly relaxes and wraps her arms around me too. Her head rests on my shoulder, which causes her to bend down more. I'm not a small person but in Linda's arms I feel tiny. We stay like that for a while, letting the world move on as we stand still.

 **XXX**

I started patrol an hour ago and I've been bored out of my mind for the same amount of time. Gotham is as quiet as a dead person.

"Maybe we should let Killer Croc out of Arkham. That way we can at least busy ourselves for a while." Stephanie smacks Damian in the back of the head for his comment. He gives her the evil eye then motions for us to move. I don't like working with Damian. He's irritating at best. Stephanie is okay to work with from time to time but I prefer her more as Stephanie than Batgirl.

In a spur of the moment, I take off down the roof and jump, leaving Batgirl and Robin alone. Barbara must have picked it up on her monitors because she buzzes in on my intercom and asks where I'm going. I tell her that since it's so quiet there's no use for me to stay with Stephanie and Damian. She doesn't contest. It takes me half an hour to get to uptown Gotham City. This is where all the rich live and dine. I'm surprised Linda lives in such an area. Yes, I'm on my way to check on Linda at her apartment as Batwoman. The day after Batwoman had the encounter with Linda, I checked out where she was staying in Gotham. The fact she's living in such a ritzy place makes me suspicious.

Lucky for me, her apartment is in one of the tallest apartment complexes in Gotham. No one is going to spot me as I land on her balcony. And I land on it without a sound. The balcony's doors are a tad open. This makes it easier for me to listen in on her. It's not lost on my how unethical my actions are as I peek in and see her apartment is huge and everything in it is gorgeous. There is no way she can afford this on a reporter's salary.

"I don't see what the problem is, Clark." I duck behind the wall as Linda comes around a corner. "Yes, I know what you said but that doesn't mean I understand." I can see Linda roll her eyes through the semi-translucent curtains that hang on the balcony doors. "Fine, fine, I'll behave." She puts her left hand on her hip and rolls her eyes again. A few times I see her nod as she listens to this Clark. I'm sure Clark has finished speaking because Linda smiles and leans on the wall. "I love you too, cuz. Good night." Linda closes her cellphone and tosses it on the couch. She heads for the kitchen and I lose sight of her. I hear the fridge open when her phone goes off again. Linda comes back into view and grabs the phone.

"Hi Lucy." Linda's face breaks out in a huge smile as she sits on the couch. "It's good to hear from you, too. Sorry about yesterday and this morning, I was busy with an emergency. A friend of Barb's and a recent acquaintance of mine had an accident."

Acquaintance? I'm an acquaintance?

"No, she's okay now. Just a bump on the head is all… Yeah, she tried to help me with something but my weight pulled her down and she banged her head on a desk. She was out half the day yesterday… I don't think that'll be a good idea. She doesn't know I told anyone else but Barb." Linda unbuttons her white blouse as she listens to Lucy. "Good to know," she says as she pulls off the shirt, leaving nothing but a black camisole covering her bra. "I see." Linda reaches down to pull of her shoes off when she shoots out of her seat. "What? There is no way that's true… Well, we'll see about that… Yeah, you darn right you should have a talk with him. There's no way I would stay with a guy after he did that to me." Linda calms down and smiles. "Okay, good night, Luce." She sits again and takes her shoes off. "I know, I know. I love you too Lucy."

Whoa, love? Who exactly is this Lucy?

Linda hangs up and reaches down to take her socks off. I watch her prop her feet on her coffee table and wiggle her toes. It's kind of cute. She leans her head back and does some deliberate breathing when her phone goes off again.

"Ugh, really? Can't a girl relax around here?" She flips open the phone. "What?" She doesn't sound happy. "Oh, Bruce, hi."

Bruce? She can't mean Bruce _Wayne_?

"I'm fine. How are you? You must be tired after that trip." Linda laughs a few seconds later. Her body language changes from laid back to more flirtatious. "Yeah, Clark called about an hour ago. I had a very nice and _long_ conversation with him… Yep, that's Clark alright."

Linda moves to lie on her couch. "What kind of guy are you? Hmm, well I don't rightly know. You're a hard guy to peg down, Mr. Wayne."

It _is_ my cousin she's speaking to. How does Linda know Bruce and on a friendly basis?

"Is that why you like me so much, I make things interesting?"

Bruce likes Linda? This is news to me. Not once did Bruce ever mention being interested in someone romantically. Then again, he's always Batman when I'm around so relationships are never going to be a topic of discussion. As I think about this I realize I haven't been paying attention to Linda's conversation with Bruce.

"See you soon Bruce. Be careful-oh, and tell Diana I said hi." Linda listens to what Bruce says then bursts out in laughter. "Well, how would you feel if a woman like Diana kept walking around the hotel naked—wait, never-mind don't answer that."

Diana? Now who's _this_ woman? And what kind of a relationship does she have with Linda that she can walk around naked? I stop myself on that train of thought. I sound like a teenager right now.

Linda says good night to Bruce and is about to hang up when she freezes in place. Soon after, her frozen features melt into a warm smile. "I miss you too, Bruce." I've seen all I need to see and move to the ledge

"Did you enjoy the show?" I stop and slowly turn. Linda has her arms crossed and is leaning on a door.

"How long did you know I was here?"

"After I hung up on my cousin Clark."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Linda shrugs. "Well, I wanted to make sure you were okay. You disappeared after I last saw you and I didn't know what happened." Linda keeps standing there and doesn't say a word. "And you're not going to tell what happened, are you?"

She quirks an eyebrow. "Not really."

"I see. I guess I'll be off then." I pull out my grappling gun and aim for the building across the street.

"I hope to see you again, Batwoman. We have a lot to talk about, you and I." I shoot off the grappling hook.

"We'll see, Miss Danvers." I jump off the ledge and don't look back.


	8. Chapter 7

"You frustrate me, you know that?"

"Well I'm sorry… not!" I roll my eyes as I pass by the fighting couple. I think their names are Rose and John, but I could be wrong. They live in the building next to mine and have a nasty habit of always fighting outside. Luckily, I'm busy almost every day.

Today was the opening of my new store. To my surprise a lot of people showed up. Even Maggie stopped in for a quick visit. I guess a book store was needed in Gotham City. It was also Barbara's day off, so she spent all day helping me. I had never seen her so excited before in my life. Even though Maggie had been there and Stephanie, I was still hoping for a certain individual to show up, but she never made one appearance. It didn't matter anyway because I was too busy with customers. After my long and tiring day, I was looking forward to a bubble bath.

I enter my apartment and drop my stuff on the couch. Once I'm in my bedroom, I grab a towel from the cabinet and undress. I'm about to turn off the lights when I hear a noise on the balcony. Gripping my towel, I open a drawer and pull out my new Taser. Slowly, I approach the door and peek through the curtains.

"What the hell?" I throw open the doors to find Supergirl sitting on my balcony playing with a Rubik's Cube.

"Hello, Katherine Kane." Supergirl looks up from the cube and smiles.

"Um, hello Supergirl."

"May I come in?"

"Uh-huh." Supergirl stands up. Instead of wearing her traditional Kryptonian robe she's wearing her old Supergirl suit that shows her midriff. As she walks past me, she sets the Rubik's Cube in my hand. Her fingers brush against my palm and it leaves tingles in my skin.

"Where should we start?"

"Excuse me?" I ask. Supergirl chuckles and crosses her arms.

"Let me clarify, we need to talk… Batwoman."

Excuse me? How the heck does she know who I am? "How-"

"I peeked." My head snaps down to my towel as my hands reach up to here it's tucked in. Oh… She used her X-ray vision to look through my mask.

"When?"

"The second night we worked together. Batman, Nightwing, Red Robin, Batgirl, and Robin all have lead-lined masks. Only you seemed to have missed the memo."

"I started working _with_ them a month ago. Anyway, why would Batman and the others need a lead-lined masks?"

"It's a precaution. After Superman used his X-ray on Batman, he didn't want to take the chance another member of the Super Family would come around and do the same. And he was right to do so. After he and I firs me, I looked or tried to."

"Do you do that to all the superheroes you work with?"

"No, Superman taught me better. But I had a feeling we would be working together again so I took the liberty. Sorry." She looked genuinely apologetic for looking through my mask.

"I forgive you, now what do you want?"

"Don't you think you should get dressed first?"

"Why? Does it make you uncomfortable?"

A smile tugs at the corner of her mouth. "No, but it does you."

"What makes you say that?"

"Your heartbeat. It hasn't slowed since you opened the doors." Darn her and her super-hearing.

"Fine, I'll get a robe on." I walk over to my closet and pull out my favorite blue robe. "You can wait in the living room for me."

"Thank you. By the way, you don't seem like the butterfly type." Supergirl walks out and I'm completely confused.

"I don't have a butterfly..."

Well, it looks like my mask isn't the only thing she X-rayed.

 **XXX**

Supergirl sits on my couch with her cape wrapped around her body. This covers her legs and stomach with only her chest and up showing. I sit across from her in my favorite recliner. Perfect for make-out sessions and lazy days... relax, I'm only kidding. Maybe.

I take the time to get a good look at her in uniform. The bright colors give her a different disposition than before. She looks relaxed and in a better mood than when she was in her white uniform. It suits her.

"What suits me?" asks Supergirl.

Dammit! Did I say that out loud?

"Nice language."

I sigh then say, "Your new suit, it gives you a friendlier atmosphere than your other one."

"That's because my other suit is meant for boring and professional occasions. I wasn't allowed to change out of it until the peace talks were over."

"And they're over?"

"Yes, Wonder Woman did a lovely job of wrapping things up and Wonder Girl didn't do too badly either."

"What about you? How did you do?"

"Well I really didn't do anything. I was simply there to be a third-party observer."

"With no personal interest in the matter?"

Supergirl grins. "Ha, not quite."

"Wait, did you get that?"

"Yeah, it was a quote from She's the Man. I like that movie."

"Really? I can't picture you chilling out in sweats with popcorn and watching it on the big screen."

"I was actually eating gummy worms and the TV wasn't that big."

Oddly enough, I prefer this version of Supergirl over her more professional veneer. "I like you like this."

"Like what?"

"More relaxed, more playful."

"Relaxed yes, playful? Hmm, that's a side of me you'll probably never see." I roll my eyes and maybe indulge in a partial smile as I lean back in my chair.

"So, what do you want Supergirl?"

A scowl mars Supergirl's face. "I need your help with this Intergang situation. I already have someone helping me but there's only so much she can do. I need _your_ help, Katherine. I need the help of Batwoman."

Huh, I didn't see this coming. "What can I do?"

"This is your city, we both know the witness is here in Gotham somewhere, but I don't know where. I would X-ray the city if I knew what he looked like, and Captain Sawyer is doing her best to not be near the witness as to keep suspicion down."

"What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to be my eyes and ears in this city."

"Why me? Why not Batgirl or Robin? I even heard Batman is back in town."

"I don't want them, I want you." I feel a blush creep up my face. Again, this is ridiculous. "Besides, I feel like this is more of a job for Batwoman than anyone else." Supergirl winks at me then leans into the arm of the couch. Her cape slips off her knees and exposes her shapely legs.

"I'll see what I can do."

Supergirl stands and gives a slight bow. "Thank you, Katherine. I appreciate it." She heads in the direction of my room and balcony. I nearly trip over my recliner with how fast I need to move to catch up to her. Just as she steps outside my double doors I grab her arm.

"Wait, how do I get in contact with you if I have anything?"

"Ask Oracle for the Reddner watch, she'll know what you mean. But don't tell her why, just that you need it." I nod and let go of Supergirl. "Sweet dreams, Katherine Kane." And before you can say 'Up, up, and away,' Supergirl is gone.

 **XXX**

"You want what?"

"The Reddner watch? Do you have it?"

"Not with me."

"Okay, can I have it when you do?"

"Kate, that's not the point. _Why_ do you need it?"

"I can't tell you except that I need it." Barbara and I are sitting in Benji's Café drinking coffee and eating raisin scones—my favorite—when I ask her for the watch.

"Okay." Barbara takes a sip of coffee then sets the cup down. "Who told you about the watch anyway?" I hide my face behind my over-sized coffee mug.

"I can't say."

Barbara rolls her eyes as she purses her lips. "Of course, you can't." I know Barbara knows who told me about it; shes's too smart not to. "I'll get you the watch, Kate. I just need to ask someone for it."

"Who?"

"Hey guys, did I miss anything?" Standing behind my chair is Linda dressed in her usual scruffy clothes.

"Nothing much," says Barbara. I was expecting to have coffee with Barbara alone but as soon as I got to the café, Barbara sprang the information that Linda was joining us on me. Linda grabs a chair from an empty table and sits at the end of ours. The waitress comes over and Linda orders a hot chocolate.

"I'm trying to wean off coffee." The waitress leaves to make Linda's cocoa. This leaves the three of us time to sit and talk.

I can see Barbara narrow her eyes as they flick between Linda and me. She takes a slow and measured drink before she asks, "Hey Linda, you know that watch you-know-who gave you, do you still have it?"

"Yeah."

"Great, I need it. Can you spare it for a few nights?"

"Sure." Linda takes off her watch and hands it to Barbara. The name Reddner is clearly etched on the metal.

Hold on, why does Linda have the watch? Better yet, who gave it to her?

Barbara fastens the watch to her wrist and thanks Linda. "No problem," she says. The waitress brings Linda's drink to the table. Linda takes a sip of it then makes a face. "I've had better." I laugh then take a drink of my coffee. Just then, Barbara's cellphone goes off.

"Hello?... Okay, I'll be right there." She hangs up. "I've got to go. My father needs me for something. I'll see you two another time." As Barbara wheels herself out the door, Linda follows. I try to read their lips when they talk outside, but it's a skill I don't excel in. Linda nods at something Barbara says then kisses her on the cheek. Barbara heads down the street and Linda comes back inside. I decide against asking Linda what that was about.

"So… what's with the watch?" I ask.

"It's a long story." Linda puts the other chair back and sits across from me.

"I'll take the cliff notes version."

Linda chuckles then shifts in her seat. "My ex got it from Star Labs. He used it to get in contact with someone. Later on, he gave the watch to that someone, who gave the watch to someone else, who gave the watch to me for safe keeping."

"Forget it, I want the long version."

"Ha. Look, all I can tell you, is that it's for contacting someone important."

"I understand, and you trust Barbara with it?"

"I trust Barbara with my life, so I think I can trust her with a watch." Linda smiles at me then nearly downs half her cocoa. We sit there in silence enjoying each other's company. As we sit there a thought pops in my head.

"You didn't come to my store opening yesterday."

"Hmm?"

"I said-"

"Oh, sorry about that. I make it a habit to never go to opening days. There are always too many people. I was going to visit your store today, but Barbara invited me for lunch and said you would be joining us. I thought I would have lunch with you then go to your store afterwards, if that's okay with you?"

"That's fine." Linda smiles at me and I feel fluttering in my stomach. When Linda calls over the waitress and orders her food it hits me, I have a crush on Linda Lee-Danvers.

Fan-freakin-tastic.


	9. Chapter 8

Linda and I finish lunch quickly and head to my shop. Lucky for me, it's only five blocks away. There's no one waiting at the entrance, so there are no customers in need of my attention. I open the door and head to the counter. I go to ask Linda a question to find her already lost in the rows of books.

"Katherine, this is fantastic!" Linda yells from within the maze of bookshelves. I turn on the new television I installed on the wall behind the counter (I stuck the broken TV in the back room with the rusty desk). Right now, the channel is on PGN (Planet Global Network) news. Some blonde is talking about an explosion in Suicide Slums that Superboy stopped. "That's Cat Grant, took over for William McCoy a few years back. I've always liked her nose for news but as a person she's kind of annoying," says Linda who is no longer looking through the books but paying attention to the TV. "Half the time Lois wants to rip Cat a new one. Of course Clark is there to intervene."

"Lois, as in Lois Lane?"

"Mhm, she's Clark's girlfriend. Fiancée now. Runs the digital division there. Pretty much the producer. Clark prefers to work with newspaper division."

"And Clark's your cousin?"

"Yep. He's the cousin I used to visit in Smallville." Linda props her arms on the counter and watches the news with me.

" _Here is the footage from earlier today,"_ says Cat. The clip starts off with some girl filming and narrating what's happening.

"I know that voice, that's Lucy," says Linda. All of a sudden, an explosion happens across the street. The camera-girl falters in her run as the force of it pushes her, but she recovers and heads towards the explosion. Just as she hits the sidewalk, another building explodes half a block down the street, then another, then another. The next explosion knocks this Lucy onto the ground. At the edge of my peripheral, I see Linda stare at the screen like she's about to shoot lasers out of her eyes. Her fingers are tightly gripping the counter.

I focus on the screen and see the camera slowly, but surely, rise and continue filming. As soon as it hits the sky a streak of something flies across it. Seconds later, Superboy makes a harsh landing and puts out the fires. When all is said and done, the damage caused by burning (versus concussive force) is minimized. Those in the street are clapping and cheering. Superboy is eating up the attention and gives his patented smirk. In the corner of the screen, a hand moves and then a loud whistle come from behind the camera.

"That's my girl, that's my Lucy," says Linda in awe. The tape goes on like this for a few seconds then cuts to Cat standing in front of the wreckage. I open my mouth to ask Linda about the segment, only to be stopped short when she steps from the counter and calls someone.

"Hello? Oh Lucy, thank the Lord you're okay… Mhm, I just saw it. You were definitely in the right place at the right time… Uh-huh, and Lois got everything? … Fantastic! Is she there? ... Okay, maybe another time then." Linda walks through the books and I'm unable to hear what she's saying. I turn the TV off because it's back to the desk anchors. "Okay, I'll see you then… No really, I think it's a great idea… Uh-huh, and you've really never been to Gotham, not even once out of all you're traveling?... I see, you are right about that but there are a few places you might enjoy… Great, I'll see you then." Linda hangs up and smiles at me.

"What's got you so happy?"

"Lucy. Lois wants her to take a break after what happened today so she's on her way here."

What? "That's great." Not.

"It really is, and you'll like her. Everyone likes Lucy."

"If you like her, I'll like her." I can't help but inwardly frown as another juvenile thought pops in my head.

"Cool." Linda slips her phone in her pocket and leans on the counter again. "So…"

"So…" I'm not sure what Linda expects me to say. To be honest, I'm starting to feel like I'm at a loss for words whenever she is around. Apparently, I'm turning into a loser.

"So… I like the books you have. I would get a few but I'm already so busy with work and the books I still need to read."

"Well, when you're not busy or done them, you know where to find me."

"Yep."

"Oh, I just remembered. Are you going to be busy…?" I trail off because I realize Linda is not listening to me. Instead, she's staring into space. "Linda, are you okay?"

"Huh?"

"I said are you-"

"Hey Kate, I-I've gotta go. I'm sorry but something important just came to mind."

"What, like a story?"

"Something like that. I need to go. Sorry..." Linda is out the door and running down the sidewalk before she can finish her sentence.

"Was it something I said?" I sigh and walk around the counter to see if there's anything I can do in the shelves when my fingers run over a few grooves. I pause and look down at the metal counter. There are small indents that run down the edge of the counter-top. In fact, when I look closely, the indents almost look like part of a hand print.

 **XXX**

I duck in time to avoid getting a baseball bat to the head. Unfortunately, I do get his partner's foot in my back. I fall forward and get a kick to the ribs. As the onslaught of kicks and whacks from the bat keep me down I reach for my special Taser. Just as my fingers wrap around it the assault on me stops. I take that time to get up and prepare for another set of attacks. Instead, I find the men on the ground and a figure standing over them.

"Re-Renee?"

"Hello Batwoman, we need to talk." I try to steady myself so I can greet her but I end up falling down again. Renee rushes forward and supports me. "Looks like you took a few hits too many, Kate. Come on, let's you get you home."

"I've-I've moved since-"

"I know." Of course she knows. She's The Question. She knows everything.

 **XXX**

I don't know how long I've been out but I do know how long I've been awake. Long enough to listen in on Renee's conversation with someone she calls Kara.

"How long are you going to be?... I understand… Yes, that would be difficult to get out of… Fine, I'll watch her as long as I can… Okay, good night, Kara." Renee hangs up. I can feel her move closer to me. I was always good at, knowing when Renee was near.

"You can open your eyes now, you've never been good at pretending to be asleep. I should know." I open my eyes and look at Renee. She's taken The Question mask off but she's still in the hat and masculine clothing. I always preferred her detective's uniform. It was much more form-fitting.

"Who was on the phone?"

"A source and colleague. I asked her to come and watch over you but she was busy."

"Is she your girlfriend?"

Renee shakes her head with a scoff. "No, Kara doesn't swing that way."

"Would she be if she was?"

"Probably not, people with powers always make me uncomfortable."

"She's a superhero?"

"Of course she is, and you know her too."

"I do?"

"Kara is Supergirl. Of course, her full name is Kara Zor-El. She only uses her full name when she's doing work in the diplomatic ring."

"Supergirl? W-Why were you calling Supergirl? And since when does she have a cell phone?"

"It's more or less a communicator for her. The League gave her one a while back. I use it to get in contact with her when need be." I go to sit up but the pain in my ribs is too much. "Don't move, Kate. You've cracked a few ribs. I dressed your wounds the best I could but there is only so much I can do. Supergirl is a scientist and knows a lot about the medical field. She'll be here later tonight to take care of you."

"Fantastic." I raise my arm to cover my eyes but the pain in my ribs makes me hiss and I put it down. Renee is watching—no, _studying_ me as she stands next to my bed. I hate it when she does this. "Stop that, I hate it when you do that." Renee smiles because she knows what I'm talking about.

"You like her, don't you?"

"Who?"

"You know who, Supergirl. You like her, don't you?"

"Of course I do, she's a superhero."

"No Kate. I mean, you _really_ like her." I grind my incisors together. Darn Renee and her stupid Question intuition.

"Maybe I do."

"I wouldn't if I were you. Supergirl isn't on our team and never will be. You'll get hurt in the end if you go there."

"I'm not going anywhere. It's just a stupid crush. It'll go away in no time." I remember a time at West Point, mere weeks before DADT got me kicked out, that another girl who confided in me spoke out her straight girl crushes. She was over them and glad it wasn't an issue for her anymore. There was always a part of me that wondered if that was true. I hadn't dealt with that issue since high school… Yet here I am in my 30s and evidently going through puberty again.

"I know you, Kate. And if you're not careful, you'll fall for her and then where will you be?" Before I can yell at Renee for being stupid her cell phone goes off. "Hello? ... Okay, I'll tell her." Renee hangs up and gives me look.

"What?"

"Guess who's on her way to _your_ apartment and ready to play 'doctor'?" Renee smiles, then backs away from my bed. In less than a minute, she has her featureless mask. She's adjusting her had right as Supergirl lands on my balcony with a bag probably filled with medical supplies.

"Someone called for a doctor?" Renee laughs, and I sink in my bed, hoping to hide the blush creeping up my face.


	10. Chapter 9

Renee leaves shortly after Supergirl unpacks her medical supplies. I kind of wanted her here because I didn't want to be left alone with Supergirl. At the same time, I'm glad because I knew she would make things awkward for me. When Supergirl has everything out that she needs, she detaches her cape from her costume and walks over to me.

"Okay Katherine, is it okay if I take your comforter off you? I need to X-ray you and it would make it simple for me if you weren't covered."

"Can't you see through it?"

Supergirl smiles and nods. "Yes, but afterwards I'll be applying the medicine and it would be easier if the comforter was already off."

"Okay." Supergirl reaches down and pulls the comforter until it's piled at the foot of my bed. I didn't realize how cold my room is, so with the comforter gone and me in nothing but my bra and underwear I shiver.

"Are you okay, Kate?" I nod. "Good, I'm going to X-ray you now." Starting from my head, her eyes go down my body until they reach my feet. Then she makes her way up and stops at my head again. "You have a sprained ankle, five cracked ribs on your right side, and other than a lot of cuts and bruises you're fine… Kate, are you okay?"

"Why do you say that?"

"Because you're extremely… rigid. You can to relax. I'm not going to hurt you."

"I know that."

Supergirl rolls her eyes at me. "Then relax and take a few breaths. If you're uncomfortable now, you're not going to be comfortable in the next few moments."

"Why?"

"One of the cracks is just under your right breast. I'm going to need you to take your bra off."

"I'm not shy." Not usually.

"Then tell your red face that." I'm sure I turn a shade darker as Supergirl steps away to graph her supplies.

This isn't me. I'm not the kind of woman that turns red at a comment or gets shy. I'm Katherine Kane! I'm not afraid of anyone! I take a breath and exhale through my nose. I can be better.

"Here." I pop out of my thoughts as Supergirl hands me a stretchy black cloth made from a smooth material.

"What is this?"

"It's a material I wear under my suit. I can't wear traditional or exercise bras because they can show through the suit. I used to not wear anything at all but then a friend of mine developed this." I'm holding Supergirl's bra in my hand? Oh, fanboys and fangirls everywhere would be jealous if they knew.

"Thank you, Supergirl."

"Call me, Kara, and you're welcome." I go to remove my bra but the pain from my ribs hurts too much. I let out a string of curses as I put my hand down.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Is that anyway for a lady to talk?"

"It is when she's got five cracked ribs." Whoa. Déjà vu.

"I see. Well, try to keep the expletives to yourself."

"You don't cuss?"

"What I say off duty can slip through on duty. And when you're me, you have a lot of children looking up to you."

"Well, I don't."

"You're right, you don't."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Supergirl pauses what she's doing and looks me in the eyes.

"How many little girls have you seen around here dressed as you?"

"None."

"They probably don't even know you exist… Which is nice, but not for me."

"And recognition is?"

"No, hope is. And the best way I can give hope is to be _very_ present." Supergirl takes out a cloth and pours a mixture on it. I think it's alcohol until Supergirl presses it to my legs. It feels cool and warm at the same time. "Feels nice, huh?" she says with a smile. I nod and watch Supergirl's hands go up and down my legs cleaning the cuts. "It's sort of a Kryptonian alcohol, or the closest thing to it." Next, she cleans the cuts on my arms and neck. When she reaches my stomach, I flinch. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just a little ticklish there."

"Ticklish? I'll have to keep that in mind for later." Later for what?

When I feel Supergirl's hands go over my body again, I forget her comment and close my eyes and relax. I'm surprised at how delicate her fingers move over me. You wouldn't expect someone with the ability to pick of tank or throw cars one-handed to be so gentle. I wonder what else she is gentle at.

"Excuse you?" I open my eyes to Supergirl mixing a bowl over me.

"What?"

"Well, you asked if there was anything else I was gentle at."

"I did?" Supergirl's confusion breaks out into a smile.

"You did. May I ask what you were originally thinking I was gentle at?" she says with the raise of an eyebrow.

"Um, I was just thinking that… y-you…" Supergirl's smile gets wider the more I try to think of what to say. "I was just surprised with how gentle you are with your hands. You can pick up cars, and are bulletproof, and I even saw a clip of you crushing a piece of coal into a diamond. I'm just surprised." Supergirl's smile falls into a frown. She sits on my bed and moves a strand of hair off my face.

"Like you, Kate, I have another side to me. A side I use to fit into this world. So, I need to know how to be gentle. I need to know how to open a door without pulling it off its hinges. I need to know how to shake a hand without crushing it. I need to know how to kiss someone without breaking their teeth." The last example takes me by surprise. I reach up with my left arm and move her hair out of her face and behind her ears.

"This must be so hard for you. You always have to be in control. It's like… it's like you're living in a world made of cardboard and candy wafers." Supergirl smiles softly and grabs my hand in hers, then rubs her thumb over my knuckles.

"I _always_ have to be careful around humans. They break so easily." Supergirl says the last part off to the side. I refrain from commenting on it. I just let her stand up and finish mixing whatever it is in the bowl. Supergirl takes a breath and leans over me. "Now this _will_ sting. If it doesn't, that's a good sign I didn't mix it right. You might also want to take that bra off now and put on the one I gave you."

"Could you help me with it?"

"Sure." Supergirl helps me sit then sits behind me. She undoes the clasp with one hand and I let it fall. I give Supergirl the special bra and she brings it over my head and shoulders. I hiss from pain when her fingers brush against my ribs. "Sorry, sorry."

"It's okay," I breathe out. When the bra is around my waist and my arms are over it, Supergirl brings the bra back up my body. Careful of my ribs, she fits the bra over my breasts comfortably then helps me lie down. Then she takes the bowl in her hand and scoops a tiny amount with her other. I flinch when she applies the salve to my sprained ankle.

My ankle hums under the salve. "That wasn't so bad," I say.

"We're not done yet." Supergirl walks to the other side of my bed. "I need to put you on your side." It hurts to be moved. Though, thankfully not as much as I expected. "Here, bite this." Her hand comes in front of my face with a bite stick in it.

"I can stand pain. Besides, my ankle didn't hurt that much."

"That's because it was only sprained. Your ribs are fractured, with two close to being broken. Bite this." I'm not in the mood to argue with her, so I do as I am told. As soon as my teeth are comfortable gripping it, Supergirl gives me a warning. I roll my eyes.

As soon as her fingers touch my skin, I feel a burning sensation. I grip the stick hard in my teeth to keep from screaming. As she works, my body shakes from the pain. The last thing I remember is hearing the bite stick crack before all goes black.

 **XXX**

" _How's she feeling?"_

" _Fine now. She passed out while I applied it to her ribs but that's understandable. I'm surprised she lasted as long as she did."_

" _That's Kate for you."_

" _I'm beginning to realize that."_

This is the third time I've woken with no clue as to what is going on. I yawn then sit up in my bed and look around. Sitting in my bedroom armchair, her glasses hanging on the end of her nose for dear life, with the throw blanket from my couch wrapped around her is Linda. From what I can see, she's wearing her street clothes and her hair is up in her traditional ponytail. I'm close enough to her that it's easy to slip a long strand of hair that escaped the tie behind her ear. When I lean back, I notice a note on my night-stand.

 **Kate,  
If you are reading this before 12 pm the salve needs to stay on longer. If you're reading this after 12 pm feel free to take a shower.  
Kara  
PS. If I were you, I would throw your sheets in the washer. The salve has a tendency to stain cloth.**

The clock says 1:15 pm.

I eye Linda's sleeping form. She'll be fine until I get out of the shower. I get up and tiptoe to my dresser drawers and pull out underwear and a bra. Unfortunately, I can't keep Supergirl's bra. I will eventually need to give it back to her. Before I leave the room, I place a kiss on Linda's forehead and slip her glasses up her nose. She smiles and shifts a little in the chair. It puts a smile on my face to see her so at peace.


	11. Chapter 10

After I finish my shower I feel refreshed.

I step out of the shower/tub and check my reflection in the mirror. There is a large, fading bruise where the damage to my ribs was the greatest, but other than that my skin is pale as ever. I dry off with the towel and put my bra and underwear on, then wrap the towel around my body and head for my room. When I walk in Linda is still sleeping. She must have had a tiring day for her to be out like that. Not fearing she'll wake up anytime soon, I drop my towel on the floor and grab my clothes for the day. It's Sunday. I was supposed to open the shop at 11 am but seeing as I was unconscious that would have been hard to do. Instead, I opt for playing hooky and hanging out with Linda today. I slip a simple t-shirt on over my bra and pull on a pair of Daisy Duke shorts; clothing that always causes a few heads to turn.

I walk over to Linda to see if she's still asleep. When I lean in to get a closer look at her face I see something that makes me pause. She's crying. Linda is crying in her sleep. It's not a full gush, more like a few individual tears. A fresh tear falls from under her eyelid and I catch it before it gets halfway down her cheek. Linda must have felt the touch because her eyes flutter open and lock with mine. She blinks a few times and sits up in the chair.

I decide to sit on the edge of my bed in front of her as she adjusts herself. After she fixes her clothes, she picks up the dropped blanket and rolls it up then places it on her lap. Propping her elbows on the blanket, Linda drops her head then takes her glasses off. I almost reach out for the handing holding them as she rubs her eyes then slips them on. Before she takes her hand away from her face though, she brushes her fingers down her cheeks.

"I was crying in my sleep, wasn't I?" I nod. Linda does one of those quiet derisive laughs.

"Linda, are you okay?" I finally ask. She crosses her legs and smiles at me.

"Yeah, I'm fine. That's not the first time that's happened."

"This happens a lot?"

Linda stretches her arms over her head. "Yep," she says while yawning.

"Why?" She looks me straight in the eyes and puts her arms down slowly.

"Because the dreams I have are sad."

"What are they about?" Linda places the rolled blanket on the floor and sits next to me.

"My parents." I'm confused.

"Is it because you miss them?"

"No, not my _adoptive_ parents, my biological parents."

"I didn't know you were adopted."

"So is Clark, my cousin. That's how we're related, through our biological fathers." I scoot closer to Linda while she talks to where our thighs are almost touching.

"Tell me about them." Linda sighs then lies down on my bed with her feet still touching the floor. I do the same.

"Clark and my parents were scientists. My father was a _fantastic_ scientist, second only to his brother, Clark's father. Anyway, there was suspicion that where they worked was being sabotaged. Clark's father tried to prove it, but the heads of the facility were too stubborn and prideful of their own work to believe such a thing could happen. Now, my father did believe his brother, he just didn't tell him. Both of them tried to find out what was going to happen separately, but by the time they did it was too late. Clark's dad tried to warn everyone, but no one listened. During that time, my parents were able to leave the area, but Clark's father was apprehended and accused of sabotage. In a matter of no time the entire area exploded and everyone there was killed."

"I'm so sorry."

"You didn't cause it. Anyway, after I was born my parents moved to the United States. When I was teenager, we moved to Kansas because we heard rumors my cousin had not been killed in the explosion. While there, my parents got into an accident. They died instantly." Linda starts to cry again while she's talking. I shift onto my right side and wipe away the tears.

"I'm okay, I'm okay," she says while swatting my hand away and wiping the tears herself. "Look, the story has a happy ending. While I was at the orphanage I did some digging into adoptions around the time Clark was a baby. The one that stuck out perfectly was an adoption made by a Mister Jonathan and Missus Martha Kent. When I was old enough, I went to Smallville and met up with Clark after contacting him. We did a DNA test and found out we were related."

"I'm glad," I say while playing with the edges of her long brown hair.

Linda looks at me and smiles. "I'm glad you're glad, but you might want to tell your face that."

"What?" I stop looping the strands through my fingers and look at her.

"Well, from your face it looks like you want to ask me a question." Darn it.

"Okay... First, where did this happen? You said after you were born your parents moved here to the US. Are you European?"

"Something like that." Great, now she's being vague.

"What were your parents' names?"

"I'd rather not say."

"Then how can I look up what happened?" Linda leans on her left side and faces me directly. Our faces are only six inches apart.

"You can't. Look, I know you're interested in knowing more about me but that's not the way to go. It's not my _past_ that defines me it's who I am now." Linda reaches back and pulls the tie out of her hair then runs her hand through it. I can't resist touching her locks, so I reach up and ruffle it. "Hey! Don't mess with my hair."

I sit up and use both hands to ruffle it. As I mess with her hair, Linda takes me by surprise. She flips me on my back and straddles me faster than any soldier I've ever seen move. I'm still laughing until Linda takes my wrists and pins my arms down. The look in her eyes makes me gulp.

"Not bad for a farm girl slash reporter huh?" I'm having trouble forming words and… well, breathing with Linda hanging over me like this. We stare into each other's eyes for a while and I swear she starts to lean in when her cell phone goes off. I swear under my breath. Linda hears me and points a finger at me like she's chiding me.

"Danvers here." Linda listens to the other line and nods every so often at what the other person is saying. "I understand… I'll be there soon… No, _thank you_. Good-bye." Linda hangs up and looks at me.

"You have no idea who just called me."

"Who?"

"Detective Bullock. He wants to talk to me about the Intergang case."

"That's great."

"Yeah, except Maggie isn't on board with it."

"So?"

"'So? So, if she isn't on board and Bullock wants to talk to me about it that means only one thing. Commissioner Gordon went straight to Bullock himself."

"Why would he do that?" Linda taps her cell phone against her lips a few times then stops and smiles.

"Barbara." I get it. Barbara must have called her father and asked if Linda could do a story on the Intergang case. As I was thinking about the case something popped in my head.

"Hey Linda, two things." Linda looks down at me and listens. "First, why did you have the Reddner watch?" Linda smiles and wiggles a little bit. I do my best not to jerk from her movements because she's still straddling me.

"You're going to have to ask Supergirl that if you meet her." I roll my eyes on the inside considering I already have.

"Okay, and two, could you get off me please? You've been straddling me for a while and your wiggling isn't exactly helping me." Linda's eyes widen as she looks down and realizes her position.

"Sorry," she says with a strained voice and a blush as she gets off me. After how many times she's made me blush, it's nice to make her go red in the face. I'm about to make fun of her when _my_ cellphone buzzes. I have a text message.

 **We need to talk. ~ Maggie**

Now is not the time for her to text me with a need for a serious talk.

"Is everything okay, Katherine?"

"Everything is fine. It's just Maggie. She probably wants to vent about you working on the Intergang case, um Linda? Why do call me by my full name?" Linda thinks about it for a moment then shrugs her shoulders.

"I don't really know. I guess because it's one of my favorite female names and I like saying it… Katherine." I smile.

"Okay, I was just asking because everyone calls me Kate. Even my father calls me Kate."

"Do you want me to call you Kate?"

"No! I mean yes, I mean no." I take a breath then continue. "It's okay to call me by either. I just especially like it when _you_ say my full name. It sounds nice." Linda smiles and leans against the closed balcony doors.

"Okay… Katherine." I get caught in a trance with Linda when her cellphone goes off. "It's the office. I've got to go." Linda moves away from the doors and towards me.

"But it's Sunday."

"I know, but the news never rests." Linda kisses me on the top of my head. (A good testament to how tall she is.) "See ya around… Katherine." Linda winks at me then leaves my room.

Darn her and her cuteness.


	12. Chapter 11

After Linda leaves, I call Maggie and ask where she wants to meet.

"The usual place," she says. I was tired of eating at the diner so I suggest we meet at my favorite Chinese place instead. I can tell Maggie doesn't want to meet there but she doesn't contest. Thirty minutes later I arrive at the spot. Maggie had beat me there by five minutes according to her.

"What can I say, I was in the area," she says before taking a sip of her drink. I don't want to sit in the middle of the restaurant, which is where she was sitting when I walked in, so I suggest we move. Maggie calls over the waitress, who recognizes me from when Renee and I would come here and knew the perfect spot for us. We sit in a corner booth. I order a Cherry Coke and Maggie asks for a root beer. The restaurant isn't a buffet, so we have to look over the menus to see what we want.

"So…" says Maggie.

"So… what do you want to know?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't play coy. I know you want to talk about Linda." Maggie's face lacks a reaction as her eyes pretend to read the menu, but from the way she's gripping her menu I can tell I've struck a nerve.

"Since when have you and Danvers been on a first-name basis with each other?"

"A little while."

Maggie huffs then frowns at me. "How long is a little while?"

"Not counting our few meetings beforehand, I would say about as long as you've been on this Intergang case… more or less."

"You've been talking with her for almost two weeks?"

"Technically one if you add up all the days we've actually spoken to each other, but yeah." Maggie rubs her temples and leans forward on the table.

"How did you even meet her?"

"Barbara introduced us."

"Who took the initiative?"

"To be honest, it was her." Maggie is surprised by my answer. "I just got swept up into it all."

Maggie leans into her seat with a slight smirk. "Danvers does have that way about her, doesn't she?"

"Definitely."

The waitress comes back to drop off our drinks and take our orders. Since we haven't bothered to choose our orders, I pick the pot sticker special and give the girl our menus.

"I don't like having Danvers on this case," says Maggie when she walks away. "It makes me uneasy."

"Why? Afraid she'll get hurt or something?"

"No, in fact Danvers is pretty good at taking care of herself. One time we collaborated on a drug-ring story and during a late-night scouting some thug attacked me with a crow bar. His first swing had been to the back of my legs. Luckily his aim sucked so it didn't cause major damage. But before he could swing at me again a fist came out of nowhere and knocked the guy out cold. Danvers showed up and took him down in one hit." Maggie takes a sip of her root beer before going on. "The weird thing is, is that I swear she was on the other side of the building. I even asked her how she got to me so fast but she just shrugged her shoulders and said the doors on the other side were locked."

"Were they?"

"One was. I assumed Linda broke it. Never got the chance to ask her though. The next night we got lucky and we were able to get enough inside information to take down the ring."

"Sounds like all's well that ends well." I drink my Coke while Maggie leans on her left arm.

"Still, Danvers has a habit of leaving more questions than answers in wake. Most of which revolve around her." I don't comment on what Maggie says but I understand where she's coming from. There have been a few moments where Linda has said something or done something that caught my attention. She always seems to have an answer or does that cute smile to cover it up.

"I spoke to her today. She said Bullock wanted to meet with her."

"Yeah, that was a part of it. Out of nowhere he decides we need to bring a reporter into our ring. The big idiot called Gordon to see if it was okay then called me and said to get in contact with Linda Lee-Danvers."

"Linda thought Gordon came up with the idea of her getting involved. It wasn't?"

Maggie shakes her head. "Gordon came up with the name but Bullock wanted a reporter in the first place. Odd seeing how he has an aversion to reporters, private detectives, masks, and anyone who isn't a cop."

"Maybe he had an epiphany about something."

"This is Bullock we're talking about. Epiphany isn't in his vocab let alone something he ever has." I smile and ask Maggie how the witness is and such.

"You know I can't talk to you about that, Kate."

"I don't want the details, I just wanna know if he's doing okay."

"He's fine. He was safe in custody long before Batwoman almost killed him." I want to apologize to Maggie for that night, but I know I can't, not as Kate Kane anyway.

"Who was the man pretending to be your witness anyway?"

"Some convict from Metropolis Prison. He was on Death Row so Metropolis Penitentiary 'volunteered' him."

"Isn't that inhumane?"

"That's not how the warden in Metropolis viewed it." The tone of Maggie's voice lets me know she didn't like what he did either. The waitress serves us our pot stickers and we spend the rest of the lunch period eating and talking about topics other than Linda Lee-Danvers and Intergang.

 **XXX**

I wait outside Linda's apartment for three hours until she finally leaves. She doesn't have a car, so I'm forced to follow the taxi the doorman called for her. I did a little research and discovered that Wayne Enterprises owns the entire building she's living in. And if my suspicions are correct and she does personally know Bruce, I don't know why he is letting her stay there for free. There is no record of her even meeting Bruce, whether at a party, by accident, or through an interview. But it's obvious their relationship is more than a simple few-times-meeting thing.

I stay a good distance behind Linda's taxi on my motorcycle. Eventually, it leads me to the docks and into the warehouse district. As soon as the car starts braking, I turn right and park behind a storage warehouse. When I peek around the corner, I see Linda get out and pay the taxi driver. She stands outside and watches him leave until he's out of sight.

Linda turns and walks down the boardwalk like she's on a Sunday afternoon stroll. It would be easier if I followed her as Batwoman because I would be able to use my tools to scale the tops of the buildings. But I need to follow her as Kate; in disguise, of course. I follow her to a warehouse at the end of the docks and she goes in the front entrance. I can't follow straight behind her, so I look for another way in. There is an open window on the second story.

I thought ahead and brought a few of my "Bat-gadgets" in case I needed them. I pull out the grappling hook and aim it carefully. Once I press the button, the hook flies off and shoots over the edge of the roof. I give the wire a few heavy tugs before climbing up. After I climb through the window, I retract the wire and hook. I've landed on a balcony that overlooks the rest of the warehouse. Other than a few stacks of crates, the landing is practically empty. As I walk across the floor, I take decisive steps in case the boards creak. There is a stack of crates near the edge of the balcony. I slide behind it and look through the bars of the bannister at the main floor.

Linda is leaning against a large pile of crates and from the look of it seems to be waiting for someone. Other than the clearing she's standing in, the main floor is a maze of boxes, machinery, and more crates. I watch her for several minutes until a high-pitch whistle shatters the silence.

"Geez! Really? Seriously?" says Linda while pressing her fingers on the junction between her ears and temple.

A laugh precedes someone saying, "Sorry, couldn't resist." Out of the maze comes none other than Black Canary. I recognize her from an article I read while passing through Star City. She usually patrols there alongside Green Arrow. Rumor has it though, she shows up in Gotham to work with Huntress from time to time.

I remember Helena telling me about the group. They call themselves 'The Birds of Prey'. I had to keep from laughing when I first heard the name. When I asked her who else was in the group she wouldn't say. However, I know for a fact Renee sometimes works with them under the guise of The Question.

Linda gets over her momentary loss of hearing and hugs Black Canary. Great, someone else Linda is friendly with. "How are you, Linda? I haven't seen you since you since last Christmas."

"What can I say? I'm a busy girl." Linda winks at the blonde woman in fishnets. "So, what do you have for me?" Black Canary pulls out a small stuffed envelope from inside her jacket and hands it to Linda.

"That's all of it so far. It should be enough for you to write your first story."

"I can't yet, not until I'm sure the cops and I have everything." Black Canary sits on a round piece of machinery and pulls out a dagger to play with.

"I heard about that. Congratulations on getting the cops to work with you."

"I had nothing to do with it. Commissioner Gordon—with Barbara's help of course—recommended me. On top of it, Bullock wanted a reporter getting involved in the first place."

"Do you know why?"

Linda shakes her head. "Not a clue, but I will find out. There was something off about Detective Bullock when I spoke to him today. He was too… nice."

Canary laughs. "Nice? I've heard the horror stories. Bullock doesn't do nice, not unless he's in trouble." Linda smiles and slips the envelope into a pocket on the inside of her jacket.

"Other than the envelope, do you have anything else for me?"

"Yeah, some advice. I think it's time you drop Batwoman." Linda is surprised by Canary's comment based on the way she blinks on her mouth hands ajar. She takes a breath as if to speak then closes her mouth before she clears her throat.

"I know. I haven't been in contact with her since I caught her spying on me. At the same time, I have it on good report she has no information about this Intergang situation."

"I talked to Oracle about that. She said Batwoman isn't even involved with this. That's why we both want you to drop her."

"Both of you want me to drop her?"

"Not only that but I had a talk with The Question last night. She agrees with me."

Hold on, Black Canary had a talk with Barbara _and_ Renee, and both agreed it would be best for Linda to cut ties with me? The rational part of me knows Barbara and Renee meant that Linda should cease communicating with my _Batwoman_ persona and not me, Kate Kane. I hope.

Linda sits next to Black Canary and sighs. "I understand. I'll see what I can do." The blonde puts her dagger away and pats Linda on the shoulder.

"Good girl." From what I can see, Linda rolls her eyes at Canary and gets up from her seat.

"Seeing as you have nothing more to give me, I'll be leaving now. See you around, Canary. Say hello to Green Arrow for me."

"Will do. Oh, and one more thing." Linda stops. "Diana called, she-"

"I know. I talked with her before coming here. She says I have four weeks to crack this until I have to meet her in London."

"That's not a lot of time." Linda shrugs and pushes her glasses up her nose.

"Then I better work fast." She disappears into the darkness of the maze and five minutes later Canary does the same but in the opposite direction.

I slump down on the floor and lean against my stack of crates. In four weeks Linda is leaving for London with this Diana character.

In four weeks, Linda is leaving _me_.


	13. Chapter 12

Ever since the night I followed Linda, I haven't seen or heard from her. I would occasionally send her a text or call her. She has yet to reply. It has been a week since I last talked with her. I was beginning to think she was avoiding me to make it easier when she leaves for London.

"Hey Kate, what do you think?" I look up from the book I'm reading at Bette spinning around in another dress.

"You'll knock all the boys dead."

"I could say the same of you… kind of." I laugh and look down at the black dress I'm wearing. Bette picked it out for me this morning.

Tonight, is the charity event my father hosts every year. The proceeds go to shelters for battered women and homes for veterans. This year he decided to do a silent auction to raise the money. The main event is held in the ballrooms on the top floor of Wayne Towers. The same building Linda lives in. I let out a sigh as soon as I think of her. Luckily, Bette is too involved with getting ready to notice.

"Alright, I'm ready to leave now. But we need to hurry, or we'll be late." Bette grabs her coat and purse and I grab mine.

"And whose fault would that be?" Bette smacks me in the arm as we walk out. "O-ow." She locks her apartment and we head for the elevators. To be honest I was excited for the gala, Maggie said she would be there… maybe.

 **XXX**

Bette and I arrive five minutes before the Colonel and I give the beginning speech. He gives me a look while I walk on stage.

"You're late."

"Don't blame me, I was ready hours ago. It was Bette who was taking so long." He rolls his eyes, figuring it was Bette who was the real hold up. I watch as he straightens his back and walks up to the microphone. Everyone in the room quiets down as he begins his speech.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining me tonight. As you all know, this night is not about us here in this room, it's about those who desperately need our help. Women who have been abused and fear for their life and the lives of their children. Veterans who have been…" I immediately tune him out. He gives the same speech every year. I've got the timing to when I need to step in and say my part down to a science. "…and here she is now. Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce my daughter Katherine Kane." Bingo.

I thank my father for his introduction and go on with my part of the speech. As I near the end of it, my father hands me a card with the names of the people who gave donations. The people who gave the most are at the very end.

"…and thanks go out to Wayne Enterprises and Queen Industries for their large donations to the auction tonight and to the shelters themselves." Right on cue, Oliver Queen with his steady girlfriend Dinah Lance step on the stage. They are followed by Bruce Wayne who usually has some random date attached to his arm, but surprisingly he's going stag. I step back from the microphone as Queen thanks those who have arrived for the auction in his usual flamboyant manner.

"…and of course, Bruce I'm glad you're here. But it looks like this year I beat you in the amount of money I donated." The people laugh, and Bruce shrugs his shoulders and smiles as if it's no big deal. Oliver Queen hands Bruce the microphone.

"Thank you, Mister Queen. And thank you all for being here. This is our chance to help those in lower society the best way we can." I resist the urge to roll my eyes at his comment. Leave it to Bruce to perfect his façade by insulting parts of society while still being sweet. He hands me the microphone and I wrap up by thanking the news teams for being here.

"Thank you for joining us as well, Cat Grant of PGN news and her cameraman Dave Winters," Cat waves her perfectly manicured hand at the audience along with her camera man. "Vicki Vale of Gotham News and her cameraman Charlie Gray," Vicki ends her conversation with a random man and waves to the audience. "And thanks also go out to the Daily Planet, who by the way failed to tell us who they were sending." The audience laughs as they look around for the Planet's reporters. I first spot a young ginger-haired man waving his hand to the audience.

"The name is James Olsen, but you can call me Jimmy." The audience laughs again. I can tell he's the photographer because of the camera hanging around his neck. "I would tell you where my partner is, but she's seemed to have disappeared."

"Relax Jimmy, I'm right here." I blink a couple times to make sure I'm correctly seeing this. In a long and form fitting, dark-blue dress is Linda. Her usual mess of brown hair has been neatly curled and styled to be half up and half down. There's a recorder in the hand she's waving and a glass of champagne in the other. She looks good.

"Well," I jump as soon as my father takes the microphone from my hand, "now that the mystery has been solved, let's enjoy the night." The people clap, and the string quartet plays their music. Bruce along with Oliver Queen and his date walk off the stage. My father follows right behind them. Bette passes them as she comes on stage and grabs my arm.

"Come on, there are a few people who want to meet you, Kate." I let Bette drag me off the stage, but while she's occupied with getting me to these people my mind is occupied with thoughts of Linda. I desperately want to talk with her about what she's been up to this past week, but when I look around for her I can't find her. I easily spot Jimmy. Sadly, a journalist doesn't have to always stay with her photographer. I guess I'll have to speak with her another time.

 **XXX**

Once I get away from Bette and her group of giggling friends, I go in search of Linda. I look in every room, but she is nowhere to be found. I notice Bruce is missing too. If I remember correctly, Bruce has a habit of disappearing at least once during every event he attends. I have a theory as to where he is hiding and go to test it out. Technically, the ballrooms are on the very top floor, but there's a large alcove hidden above the ballroom. This floor is always off limits when galas and charities are held but I'm sure Bruce never cared to follow that rule.

As soon as I'm positive no one is watching me, I make a break for the back stairwell. In no time I'm upstairs and walking around. The architecture for this floor is weird. It's designed like a gothic belfry. The placement of large stone columns is also odd considering how modern Wayne Towers is. I take my heels off to keep from making any noise and search the floor for Linda. When I pass one of the columns I hear laughter. I move on the balls of my feet to hide behind an adjacent column. I recognize the laugh as Linda's. I peek around the stone and see her sitting on a window ledge talking to none other than Bruce.

"Did he really do that?" he asks.

"You think I'm kidding and I'm not. I've never seen a grown man turn so many shades of red in my life." Bruce laughs then sits on the sill across from Linda.

"I wish I could have been there." Linda pushes her glasses up her nose and smiles at him.

"I know. But you were busy, and we both know that comes first." I can't see Bruce's face because of how he's sitting, but from Linda's face I can tell he's not happy.

"Speaking of things coming first, how are you and Wally?" asks Bruce.

"We broke up."

Hold on! Linda was dating someone?

"I'm sorry to hear that."

Linda smiles and hits Bruce in the arm. "No, you're not, but thank you anyway. It needed to be done. Wally and I do love each other but not that way. Also, he and I both realized we were moving at lightning speed."

"Was that the problem?"

"No, we just realized we were moving in _opposite_ directions. We needed certain things from the relationship and we weren't able to offer that to each other. In the end, it was mutual."

"Is that how you and Jimmy ended things?"

Jimmy… Wait, the photographer? He's her ex?

"No, no that was different. Jimmy and I dated and… and I think we just went out because it seemed right."

"Emphasis on seemed?" Linda slips her heels off and crosses her legs while getting comfortable on the window sill.

"Exactly, he and I… we… I don't know." Linda stares out the window at the star-lit sky and sighs.

"Do you regret breaking up with Jimmy?" There's something in Bruce's voice I can't place. It sounds like sadness almost but not quite. Linda speaks without looking at him.

"Sometimes." Her eyes fall back on Bruce and she gives him a sheepish smile. "I don't even know why. I guess," Linda takes a breath before continuing, "I guess my relationship with Jimmy was safe. It was the _only_ thing in my life that was constant. But my traveling put strain on it. It was then we realized if we weren't willing to fight for our relationship perhaps we weren't meant to have one at all."

Bruce leans forward and takes Linda's hands in his. "Who are you okay with having a serious relationship with?" I recognize that voice. It's a voice inquiring about a topic so deep and so scary that you're afraid of getting hurt. This is the question that can make or break him. Linda smiles and lifts one of her hands to push her fingers through his hair. Her eyes follow her own movements.

"I think you know." Her eyes meet his and I'm waiting for the moment that will make Bruce and break me. Linda leans forward but surprisingly to whisper something in his ear. They quickly stand. What the he-

"Linda, are you up here?" I shove my feet back in my heels and lean against the column casually in case I'm discovered. "Linda, are you-"

"Over here, Lucy!" I peek from behind my column at this Lucy Lane. What I get is not what I expect.

Lucy Lane is a petite brunette with short-cropped hair. From the way she walks and moves, I can tell she has a bubbly personality and is quite the perky person. Someone I don't exactly see Linda's calm and mature personality being close friends with. But as Linda said before, she's not exactly what she seems.

"Hey, Luce, I was just finishing up here." Linda turns to Bruce and holds out her hand. "Thank you for your time, Mister Wayne. The Daily Planet greatly appreciates it." Bruce takes her hand in his and kisses her knuckles.

"It was my pleasure, Miss Danvers." He lets go of Linda's hand, takes a few steps, and then stops and turns around. "By the way, tell Lois I said hello and congratulations on her engagement to your cousin."

Linda smiles. "I will."

When Bruce disappears out of sight, Lucy speaks to Linda. "I think he likes you." Linda laughs and picks her recorder off the window ledge.

"Lucy, he's a playboy millionaire and is friendly with everything female."

"I'm just saying."

Linda rolls her eyes. "Uh-huh." She crosses her arms and leans on one leg.

"Look, I came up here because Jimmy is looking for you. The auction closes in another half hour and you two still haven't spoken with either Colonel Kane or his daughter, who has disappeared by the way." Linda tilts her head and the corners of her mouth curl up.

"Has she really?"

Uh-oh.

"Yes, now come downstairs please."

"I will, just give me a moment, okay?" Lucy shrugs and walks off. As soon as she disappears, I press my shoulders into my pillar and hope Linda doesn't know I'm here.

"You can come out of hiding now, Katherine." I don't reply. "I know you're behind that column. Your red hair is a little hard to hide when peeking from behind it." I stay in my state of denial and twist my body to look out the window at the bright moon shining. "Kate…" I jump at Linda's voice coming directly behind me. This causes me to lose my balance and almost fall on my face. Before I can blink, Linda grabs a hold of my arm and pulls me close to her. "Hello, Miss Kane," she says, mere inches from my face. "And how long have you been hiding here?"

Busted.


	14. Chapter 13

I take a gulp of air and step out of Linda's warm body, though it is tempting to stay. Linda chuckles a little as I work to regain my composure. When I'm settled, I look into Linda's eyes and lose my breath. The way the moonlight hits her makes her look ethereal. Her dress hugs her full curves in all the right ways and the moonlight makes her skin glow. Not even her thick-rimmed glasses can take away from how beautiful she is.

Shit.

"Well, Katherine Kane? You have yet to answer me." I blink then clear my throat.

"Why am I up here?"

Linda smiles and leans against the column I was hiding behind. " _How long_ have you been up here?" she reminds me.

"A while."

Linda rolls her eyes. "How long is a while?"

"I don't know, you and Bruce Wayne were laughing." Linda's shoulders relax. I was so focused on her eyes I hadn't noticed.

"So not long, but long enough to hear what you may not want to hear."

"What do you mean by that?"

Linda raises an eyebrow at me. "Oh, I think you know, Miss Kane."

"Look, I just came up here to find you."

She tilts here head and narrows her eyes at me. "What made you think I was up here?"

"You weren't downstairs." The statement makes Linda straighten and walk towards me. I step back but she keeps coming.

"So, you decided after seeing that neither me _or_ Bruce Wayne was downstairs to come up here and find me. Then after doing so, you decided to listen in on a private conversation instead of just calling for me." I did not like where how this was going.

"That's not-"

"Oh, that is _exactly_ how it went." My back is against the wall, but Linda doesn't stop. "You came up here not for the main reason of wanting to spend time with me." Her face is a few inches from mine again. "You came up here to make sure I wasn't sucking face with Bruce Wayne because…" Now her nose is almost rubbing against mine. "You're jealous."

The sound of my hand smacking Linda's cheek echoes throughout the room.

"How _dare_ you say that?" Linda keeps her eyes on the floor. Her left hand caresses her cheek. It better have hurt, my hand is throbbing so badly that I must have hit her pretty hard. Slowly, Linda bends to pick her glasses of the floor, the glass broken from the fall, and slips them on her face.

"It's true though, and you know it." She doesn't look at me and I don't say anything back. I just push past her and desperately try to make it to the stairs; doing my best to keep the tears from falling.

 **XXX**

I know I'm supposed to be at the charity; flirting with everyone, being friendly and charming so we can get more bids for the auction, but I don't feel like it. I don't feel like putting on a brave face while watching Linda walk around and do interviews. In true Bat fashion, I hide to I sulk, and wait for the night to be over. I'm in a small library, one conjoined to an office my father uses to the check numbers after the auction. They're used to help denote the two sections of the ballroom in case of more than one party.

I look at the clock. It's almost midnight. That party has been over for a short while. As I lean my head against the armchair I'm pouting in, I hear voices from the next room. One of them is the unmistakable tenor of my father. The other is definitely female but I can't tell who it is. I get up from my seat and tip-toe to the sliding doors that separate the rooms. There is a small crack at the opening. I lean as close to the doors as possible and listen in.

"It would be wise of you, Colonel Kane, to think over what I've said." I finally recognize the voice. It belongs to Linda.

"And I am telling you, Miss Danvers, I do not appreciate what you are accusing me of." Great, first Linda attacks me and now she is attacking my father. I'm not particularly happy with the man but he is still my father and Linda should not be acting like a jerk. Okay, perhaps jerk is not a strong enough word to describe what I'm feeling towards her, but at the same I can't bring myself to call her anything worse.

"I'm not accusing you of anything, colonel. I'm _telling_ you that I know what you've been doing and that I will print it."

"I'll sue you for libel!" I hear my father's hands slam against the desk.

"You won't be able to do that, colonel, not with Oliver Queen and Bruce Wayne backing me up." My father goes quiet; not a good sign.

"They know?"

"Of course they know. They aren't millionaires—or to be correct—billionaires just because they're hot. Both Mister Queen and Mister Wayne are bright men and figured it out. That's why all the money they donated went only to those homes for battered women." I hear my father sigh. It's a sign of defeat for him.

"What do you think will happen to me?" I can hear the leather seat Linda must be sitting in moan as she shifts.

"Probably a slap on the wrist along with a few other legal things, but you won't go to jail. What you did wasn't illegal, just stupid." I can hear my father get up from his chair.

"If you will excuse me, Miss Danvers, I need to go handle something." I hear my father walk away and leave the room. Linda is alone and just on the other side of these doors. I think it's time I talk with her…

"Is he gone?" … or not.

"No Jimmy, he's just invisible." I hear a door close.

"You know what I mean." The unmistakable sound of Linda's laugh bubbles through the crack. "Anyway, what did he say?"

"Nothing really. I told him what would happen and he accepted it."

"Really?"

"What can I say, when I'm right, I'm right." I hear another laugh but this one belongs to Jimmy. I try to get a look of what is going on by peeking through the crack. All I can see is Linda's crossed legs and Jimmy sitting on the edge of the desk.

"Do you really think he's involved with Intergang?"

Hold on, what?

"No, I just needed to ruffle his feathers a little. Colonel Kane may be a liar but he is a true patriot. He would never work with Intergang because they represent everything the USA is _not_. Or not supposed to be." Jimmy nods.

"What about his daughter?" I hear Linda sigh and see her hand move, possibly to rub her face or something.

"Kate Kane is also a patriot, in a sense. So no, she's not involved with Intergang."

"And what about your personal relationship with her?" That must have caught Linda off-guard because Jimmy smiles slightly at something Linda does.

"How did you-"

"A reporter never reveals his sources." Linda reaches forward and punches Jimmy in the leg. "Ow, that hurt!"

"Good, 'cause you deserved it." He makes a face at her while rubbing his leg.

"That was an important question, one that you need to answer."

She sighs again. "Jimmy, I'm an idiot."

"Hallelujah, she figured it out." She punches him in the other leg.

"I'm being serious here, James. I _really_ messed up." Jimmy stops rubbing both of his legs and folds his arms across his chest.

"What did you do?" he asks.

"I said something stupid."

"Did you spoil it all by saying something stupid like 'I love you'?" Linda chuckles a little.

"I wish," she says, then takes a breath. "I… I said something cruel. I took these feeling I know she has and pushed them in her face."

"Why'd you do that?" Linda re-crosses her legs.

"I dunno. Because I'm leaving in two weeks and can't have her _feeling_ for me. I've only known her for a little less than a month but this friendship we have is… _intense_. And I don't know what to do with it."

"So, you decide to be a jerk, so she'll not care if you leave? That's kind of stupid, Linda, especially for you." Of course that's stupid!

"I know, but there's a second reason." Jimmy lifts his chin slightly and crosses his longs legs. "While we were up on the top floor, something didn't feel right... Someone was watching us." Jimmy shoots off the desk.

"Who?"

"I'm not sure, but my best bet is Night Shadow."

"The assassin for Intergang?" Linda gets up from her seat and shushes Jimmy.

"Yell that louder, why don't you? I'm sure downtown Gotham didn't hear you." Jimmy looks down at his feet and shuffles a little.

"Sorry." He looks back at Linda who's standing in front of him with her hands on her hips. "But still, why would Intergang send Night Shadow after you, even just to observe you?"

"They must realize I'm investigating them. They're just waiting for me to give them something new."

"Like the location of the witness."

Linda snaps her fingers and points at Jimmy. "Exactly, it's only a matter of time until I know where he is."

"Why do you want to know where he is? Isn't it safer for you to remain ignorant of the location?"

"Let's just say I'm doing it for a friend."

Jimmy smiles and leans back on the desk. "This 'friend' wouldn't happen to be blonde, tall, and maybe fly?"

"Maybe," she says with a wink. Jimmy stands up and pats her on the shoulder.

"Supergirl better realize how good she has it with you."

Her smile widens. "Oh, she does."

He moves around Linda and out of sight. "Good night, Linda, and make sure you send your story to Perry no later than tomorrow at eight am. Oh, and I'm taking Lucy home." Linda gives Jimmy a look.

"You're not going to _drive_ her all the way to Metropolis, are you?"

"Oh course not. You know her plane leaves today at five am. I booked the same flight." Linda nods in understanding. I hear the door open then close, leaving Linda alone again. With no one else with her in the other room, I walk away from the sliding doors and back to my chair. I stop though when I hear the them open.

"Kate?" I slowly turn and see Linda standing between the doors with her arms crossed under her chest.

"Hey." My reply is weak and my voice is raspy. Linda steps completely through the doors and into the library. She takes a deep breath then starts talking.

"Kate, I-I need to talk with you about earlier." I open my mouth but her raised her hand stops me. "But not here." She takes tentative steps until she is only a foot away from me. "Would you care to come with me to my apartment?" I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding and nod. She relaxes and smiles that beautiful bright smile of hers. I should be excited. Linda finally asked me the question I've been waiting to hear for long time. And I should feel happy or excited because of it.

Then why do I feel so scared?


	15. Chapter 14

After Linda asked me to her apartment, we parted ways to get our jackets and say our goodbyes. I said goodbye to the colonel and Bette and waited for Linda at the elevator. That was over half-an-hour ago. I'm leaning against the wall flipping my phone through my fingers. I want to call or text Maggie but since she didn't make the auction, I'm guessing she got caught up with this Intergang mess. I hear laughter and look up to see Linda walking down the hall, jacket hanging over her arm, and speaking to Dinah Lance. I slip my phone into my purse and try to listen in on what they're saying. Eavesdropping; bad habit, great for investigating.

"Alright, Dinah. I'll take you up on that offer," says Linda.

"Make sure Babs comes too."

"I will." Linda hugs Dinah. This is the first time I've seen her be affectionate to someone other than Barbara. Makes me wonder what kind of relationship she and Dinah Lance have. Maybe it was through Dinah, Linda was able to get connected with Oliver. Maybe it was through Barbara she got connected to Bruce. Dinah lets go of Linda first and heads in the direction of the ballroom. Linda watches her until she disappears around a corner then turns to me.

"So, you ready?" I refrain from making a sarcastic comment and nod. "Great." Linda hits the down button and we enter the elevator as soon as the doors open. She presses the button for the 15th floor.

Since the top five floors are lofts and large apartments, Linda and I need get out and go to another elevator that will take us to her floor. The ride down is quiet. It's not until it stops, and we get out that I say something.

"So, what were you and Dinah Lance talking about?" I notice the corner of Linda's mouth curl up.

"Nothing important, just talk of a girls' night out." We show two security guards out ID's; driver's license for me and press badge for Linda. Once we're out of earshot of them, I ask her another question.

"I didn't realize you were on friendly terms with her."

"Technically I was on friendly terms with Oliver Queen first, but that's another story for another night."

"Did, um, did Oliver Queen introduce you to Dinah?"

"No, Barbara introduced us a long time ago. Actually, I met Dinah a year before then, but it never amounted to anything until we found out we shared a best-friend."

"Barbara is Dinah Lance's best-friend?" Linda smiles and pushes the down button for the second elevator and her glasses up.

"Yep. Small world isn't it?" Small world, indeed. Once the elevator opens we step in and Linda hits the button for the 12th floor.

"How do you afford to live here?" Linda's eyebrows rise at my question.

"Being a little blunt, aren't we?"

I shift my feet and hug my coat closer to me. "Sorry, I was just curious."

Linda gives me this indifferent look, as if she's not sure what to make of me, and then answers. "A friend, and that's all you need to know."

Now she's acting like she did on the top floor, serious and closed-off. Makes me wonder if this is the _real_ Linda Lee-Danvers and not the sweet and overly-friendly one I've been given the pleasure to know. I push my shoulder into the elevator wall and relax during the rest of the ride down. The elevator soon opens, and I follow Linda out. As we make the walk down the hallway, my heart picks up its pace. And once she puts that key in the door I feel it stop. It feels like I'm on the verge of a heart-attack. I've never been this nervous before, in fact I shouldn't be nervous at all but… but there is something about Linda that makes me nervous and yet very calm and safe. As soon as we enter her apartment, I let out a long whistle.

Linda smiles. "Like it huh?" I simply nod as I scan the apartment. "Yeah, it's okay. But I wouldn't call it home." I'm not paying attention to Linda because something isn't right. This isn't the apartment I saw her in earlier as Batwoman. Come to think of it, her apartment is supposed to be on _tenth_ floor, not the twelfth. "Make yourself at home, Kate. I'm going to get changed into something more comfortable." I look at Linda, surprised by what she said, and start to feel nervous all over again. But then again, I shouldn't be. This is Linda we're talking about. She's probably going to change into her pajamas or a t-shirt and jeans.

I take this time alone to walk around and get a good look at her new apartment. The furniture is the same and the layout is similar, but the sitting room is bigger and the kitchen too. There is one thing that's new though, a dish cupboard sitting against the wall near the kitchen. There are picture frames on it, five to be exact. The one on the far left is a picture of her and Barbara standing in front of a diner called Beantasm. This was obviously before Barbara was shot by Joker.

The second picture is one of her in front of the Justice League Museum. From the banner in the background, it's obvious this was the opening of the Supergirl gala. The third picture is in the same location, but this time Jimmy Olsen and Lucy Lane are in the picture with her. The way Jimmy is looking at her and how his fingers are interlinked with hers indicates this was during the time they dated.

The fourth one is in front of a yellow house. Linda is standing with an older couple and a tall man with dark hair and glasses.

"This must be her parents and cousin," I say, thinking out loud. It must have been taken years ago because her face is chubbier, and her hair is shorter. The fifth picture is interesting. Linda is standing with a young man with ginger hair and a young girl with brunette hair.

"The ginger is Wally West and the girl was my friend Mary." I jump and spin around to face Linda. She's standing with her hands on her hips and her head titled to the right. I look Linda up and down and I'm a little relieved to see she's wearing a pair of Daisy Dukes that show off her legs nicely and a plane white t-shirt, but no shoes. It's the same thing she was wearing in the picture with her family. In fact, I think they're the _exact_ same clothes. I guess she really hasn't changed that much since then, body-wise anyway.

"W-Was?" I hand Linda the picture frame, she places it back in its spot.

"She died from cancer three years ago."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

Linda gives me a sad smile and shrugs. "You can't change the past. You can only move forward."

"What about Wally?"

Linda turns around and walks into the kitchen. "Wally and I met on a run, so to speak, and sort of hit it off. We dated for a while."

"Was this before or after you dated Jimmy Olsen?" I say, following right behind her.

"After. Actually, to be honest we broke up the same time I came to Gotham."

"Wow, so not long ago."

Linda rummages through her fridge. "Nope, in fact it happened the same day we met in the coffee shop—by the way, do you like grilled cheese? 'Cause that's all I got." I laugh. "I'll take that as a yes." When Linda pulls out the cheese I get a look into her fridge. Other than a gallon of milk, her fridge is practically empty. Linda pulls out two plates from the cabinets and pops four slices of bread into the toaster. She turns to face me and leans against the counter with a smile then frowns. "Do you want something to change into? I'm sure you're ready to rip off that dress by now."

The smile on my face disappears as soon as the words leave Linda's lips. She notices and is about to say something when the toast pops up. She turns her attention to them. While making our sandwiches, she speaks with her back to me.

"If you go to the back of the apartment, you'll find my bedroom. There's a drawer on the far wall. The drawers in the middle are all t-shirts and the bottom two drawers are pajamas and shorts. Why don't you change out of that dress while I get our food ready?" I don't say anything. I just walk dutifully to the back of her apartment in search for more comfortable clothes.


	16. Chapter 15

I go into Linda's room and see the set of drawers on the other side of her bed. When I walk around it I run my fingers against the sheets. I crouch down and pull open a drawer. This one has pajamas in it; mostly cotton. I grab a pair of black, cotton shorts and top then close the drawer. I unzip my dress. I'm not wearing a bra underneath and hope Linda doesn't mind. Once I'm comfortably clothed, I try to fold my dress while walking back to the living room. Before I turn the corner, I hear Linda talking to someone.

"Yes, she's here. Is that a problem? ... I see… Never mind, Sawyer. Now what exactly do you want?"

Why is Maggie calling Linda this late at night? Wait, this must be involved with Intergang.

"That is interesting. How soon do you want me to be there? ... Understandable… I'm sure Kate won't mind… Okay, see you soon, Sawyer." I can hear Linda's phone snap shut, then her sigh.

"Hey, Kate. Are you dressed?" I wait a few seconds then come out of hiding with a smile on my face.

"Yeah, I'm dressed. Um, I didn't have a bra underneath my dress. I hope you don't mind."

"No, it's okay." Linda takes a breath and holds it. She slips her phone in her back pocket and come towards me. Slowly, she takes the dress from me, folds it properly, and sets in on the back of the couch. It isn't until then that she exhales. "Look Kate, I've got to go." I feign surprise and ask her why. "Work. There's been a break in the Intergang story. I need to go and meet a source. Are you okay with staying here by yourself?" She finally looks me in the eyes. I nod. "Cool, I'm going to head back to my room and get changed. After I leave, you can hang out here and maybe read a book. I'm sorry I don't have a TV."

"That's okay." Linda smiles and kisses the top of my head.

"You're fantastic, you know that, Kane?" Linda rushes to her room to get dressed. Five minutes later she runs into the living room changed and with all her gear. I hand her the toasted cheese sandwich and she's out the door. I wait another five minutes until I grab my stuff and what I think is the spare key to the apartment.

I want in on this Intergang case and it's about high-time I do some investigating. I lock the door and head to the elevator. When I get downstairs I slip past the doorman and beeline it to my car. I'm _so_ glad I keep an extra Batwoman suit in the trunk because I'm going to absolutely need it tonight.

 **XXX**

Getting changed was easy. It was finding out where Linda went that was another thing entirely. I had a hunch to where she was going, and it also helped that I put a tracker on her jacket before she left. I watch her from behind a shipping freight as she enters the warehouse she met Black Canary in a week ago. As soon as she disappears into the building, I run across the dock and aim for the same window I went in earlier. I slip through it and step lightly onto the balcony. There are more boxes up here from before.

I creep up to the banister and look down. I don't like what I see. Maggie is lying on the floor unconscious. I'm about to jump over the rails and help her when Linda shoots out of the dark.

"Maggie!" She gets down on both knees and checks Maggie for a pulse. She must have found one because she starts looking over her body. "Come on, Maggie. Wake up, come on."

"She won't wake up." Linda gets up on one knee then pushing herself to stand, turns to face who spoke. I can't see them because they're hidden in the dark. Linda's back is to me.

"You?" It seems Linda can see _and_ knows who did this to Maggie.

"Hey, girl." Linda shakes her head and moves towards the voice.

"But why?"

"I need to do this, Linda. I need to protect them." She takes another step and places a hand on her heart, I think.

" _I_ can protect them, or Connor, or somebody."

"I didn't have a choice." I can hear the desperation in this person's voice.

"There is _always_ a choice," says Linda.

"Not this time." What happens next, takes place in slow-motion.

The firing of the gun, the bullet ripping through Linda's body, Linda falling by Maggie's feet, the look of terror and surprise on her face; everything moved like it was going through water. Then there's me screaming and throwing a bat-a-rang into the dark, hoping it hits its mark.

 **XXX**

"Miss Kane?" I stop pacing and look up to see a doctor dressed in scrubs. "I'm Doctor Robin. I can safely say Miss Danvers is fine. The bullet went straight through except for a fragment we eventually extrapolated. We were able to stop the bleeding, but she'll have to stay overnight. Detective Sawyer is still knocked out from the drug but she should wake up soon."

"What about the person who did this? I heard Batwoman brought them in." A look of surprise splashes across Dr. Robin's face.

"How…? Never mind. Yes, Batwoman brought them in. She did a real number on them too. Right now, the person is in custody of the GCPD and no, I will not tell you where they are being held."

"I wasn't asking."

"No, but it is on your mind. And I thought I should put a stop to any ideas you may have before you do something you'll regret."

"Trust me, doctor. I have no desire to dish out revenge. I simply want to make sure Maggie and Linda are safe."

"Call me, Richard," he says with a grin that would make most women swoon. "That's good, and they're fine. I _would_ let you visit Detective Sawyer, but Detective Bullock is already in there."

"I thought you said she was asleep?"

"She is." Dr. Richard Robin—who is totally a McDreamy type—smiles again and walks away to take care of whatever else he needs to do. I don't want to continue pacing but I do want to see Linda. From being in the hospital so many times, I know where the ICU is. I just need to get there without being spotted or stopped.

 **XXX**

After dodging several doctors, nurses, and a few members of security, I make it to Linda's room. I have to open a few curtains until I reach the last enclosed bed. Linda has to be there.

"What are doing?" Oops. I turn and find a very agitated, fat nurse tapping her foot with her hands on her hips. "I'm going to call security if you don't answer my-"

"Oh shut-up. I'm here to see my friend, Linda. I know I'm not supposed to be here, but I wanted to see her." The nurse is a little shocked at my outburst, but then gets mad.

"Look here, missy. Miss Danvers was just brought in here and put in that corner to rest. I don't need you trying to cause anything-" She stops I the middle of her chastisement of me for one reason; a very empty hospital bed and no Linda.

 **XXX**

As Kate Kane, there is not much I can do about the missing Linda. But as Batwoman, I have access to a lot of tools that can do the job. I pull into the Batcave on my motorcycle and see Barbara is on Oracle duty, tonight. I would have called in but I didn't want Batman, Robin, or Batgirl to catch wind of what I was doing. I don't fear being caught because I know they are all on patrol. I shut off my engine and jog of the stairs that lead to the main computer.

"Hey Barbara, I need-" Barbara stops talking and turns to me with a raised eyebrow. Next to Barbara is Supergirl, dressed in civvies and eating a cookie.

"Hello, Kate. And how are you this night?" asks Supergirl. I open and close my mouth a few times then mentally shake myself out of my freeze and speak to Barbara.

"Barbara, I need your help. Tonight-"

"I know." I guess as Oracle, there isn't _anything_ she misses.

"Good because we need to find her."

"No, you don't," says Supergirl after finishing her cookie. I glare at her and grit my teeth.

"Why not?"

"Because she is safe with me." I'm confused. Barbara laughs and grabs a cookie from the plate sitting on the chair next to her.

"Supergirl is dressed like this because she needed to sneak into the hospital incognito. If she had retrieved Linda through the window then Intergang's spies would have seen her."

"Right," interrupts Supergirl. "But dressing like this allowed me to get in and out without being seen."

I stop Supergirl there. "Okay, I get that you can get in and out without being seen because of your super-speed, but what about Linda? It's not like moving her would have been easy." Barbara and Supergirl smile at each other but don't say a word. "You're not going to tell me, are you?"

"Probably not," says Barbara with a mouth full of cookie. I roll my eyes and walk over to Supergirl. Grabbing her by the arm, I drag her away from Barbara, so I can chat with her privately.

"On a serious note, how is Linda?" Supergirl smiles and leans against some piece of machinery.

"She'll be fine. The doctors did a good job of getting control of the bleeding. Right now she's recovering." With Supergirl dressed in civilian clothes, her attitude is more casual than normal.

"And let me guess, she's doing this with the help of your magical mix." Supergirl narrows her eyes and crosses her arms.

"It is _not_ magical, it is a scientific formula created by Kryptonian doctors to heal those suffering from blunt-force trauma." I didn't expect Supergirl to get riled up at my comment and relish in the pout on her lip.

"Whatever you say, Supergirl." As I shift my feet to go back to Barbara, Supergirl reaches out stops me.

"Kara, call me Kara."

Huh. There is this look in her eyes I've seen before, in Linda's. A look I still can't place yet. In that moment, I give Supergirl a look over. She's dressed in dark blue-jeans, a green t-shirt with a black leather jacket, and black sneakers.

"Batwoman, Supergirl, come here. There is something I need you to see," yells out Barbara. I walk away from Kara to the computer. I've seen that jacket before, it's Linda's. And now I'm beginning to understand what Jimmy meant by Kara being lucky to have Linda.


	17. Chapter 16

Supergirl and I crouch to get a better look at the scene before us. We're hidden in the top-most and darkest corner of an old warehouse. Because of how tall the building is, I need the small binoculars I hide in my utility belt. Of course, Kara doesn't need them; her and her stupid super-vision.

"It looks like they're preparing for a war," I say, thinking out loud for Kara's benefit. Unlike with Batman or Bette, I need to communicate with her verbally because she obviously can't read minds… Oh, I hope not.

The entire floor of the warehouse has tables covered in different types of weaponry and gadgets, with people rushing between them. Standing over this entire operation from a balcony is Daniel Siegfried, the right-hand or EX-right-hand man, of the now comatose Bruno Manheim. But that's not who we want.

 **Earlier That Night**

When Kara and I stand behind Barbara, she pulls the picture of a Dr. Geoffrey Barns onto the computer screen.

"Are you sure that's him Barbara?" asks Kara. Barbara nods and brings up the information about him and puts it adjacent to his picture.

"Doctor Geoffrey Barns, aka, Night Shadow." No way.

"That's Night Shadow, the assassin for Intergang?" I ask. Barbara pulls up more information and Kara reads it out loud.

"Doctor Geoffrey Barns was working for Star Labs, L.A division, on a project called 'Invisible Man,' it had to do with light refraction and the ability to create invisible soldiers. There was an accident six months into the project that made him hyper-sensitive to light. It also gave him the ability to travels within the shadows, literally."

"So, how does an accident in the lab cause him to go Intergang assassin?" Kara and Barbara exchange knowing looks after my question. Instead of pointing it out, I catalog it for later.

"All I can tell you," adds Barbara. "Is that he lives in some rinky-dink apartment in downtown Gotham, here's the address." I enter the address manually into my portable GPS.

"What are you doing?" I look up at Kara, who is giving me a quizzical look.

"Entering his address into my console."

"Why?"

"Because I'm going there."

"No, you're not." Before I can argue back, the computer beeps and a picture of Black Canary pops up out of the corner.

" _This is a prerecorded message. If this has reached you, it means I did not make my designated check-in. The likely reason is that I'm dead and my mission has been compromised.  
I'm sorry-"_

Barbara stops the message and looks at Kara with wide glassy eyes. Kara nods and yanks me towards the stairs. It takes me less than a second to know what is going on and I slip out of her tight grip and jump down the steps to my bike.

"Do you know where she is?" Kara nods again and takes off her jacket and shirt. Her uniform is hidden underneath, but this one is black. "Are we going for the goth look now?" A smirk plays at Kara's lips as she slides off the rest of her clothes, then shoves them into a duffle under the bottom step. Her all-black and cape-absent uniform is extremely form-fitting; not like the colorful, armor-like uniform she always wears. And to be honest, this one is _way_ hotter.

"Just trying something more covert." On the last word, she takes off into the air and hovers about 30 feet above me. I start my bike and turn it towards the cave entrance. It's time to go save a canary.

 **Now**

As we survey the area, the one thing I notice missing is Black Canary. She must be in a back room getting the sense and blood knocked out of her, or dead and decomposing into a bloated sack of flesh. Either way, we need to find her.

"Have you tried using your x-ray vision on the building?" I ask Kara.

"This building used to be owned by Lex Luthor when he was still financially involved with Wayne Enterprises. And ever since Superman showed up, he's been having them lead-lined, so no."

Great.

"But that doesn't mean I can't _hear_ her." Kara closes her eyes and relaxes her whole body. It reminds me of Bette. She does the same thing before going into meditation with me. Suddenly, Kara's eyes snap open and her entire body tenses up.

"What is it?" Kara ignores me and grips the beam her hand is resting on in a tight grip. The metal groans and compresses under her steel-like fingers. "Kara…" I lift my right hand and gently pull Kara's face towards me. She keeps her eyes down at my feet and I can see why. The edges of her eyes are tinged with a red glow.

I've only seen that once, in a clip PGN showed of her fight with an alien named Kathos two years ago. The result was him getting his right-leg obliterated and his body punched into pulp. This was after he threatened to destroy the peopled she loved, according to Supergirl anyway because he had said it in Kryptonian.

"Kara, look at me." When she doesn't move immediately, I lift her chin and make her look me in the eyes. The red in them intensifies until I can see nothing else. But then slowly, and with every second I keep my gaze on hers, it fades. It fades until her beautiful Caribbean-blue irises shine through. I smile and pull my hand away from her chin. "There we go, that's my Kara." She gives me a weak smile then pushes herself to stand, I follow suit.

"They have her in the back. They're…" Kara takes a heavy breath then continues. "They're hurting her, we need… we need to get to her now."

"Then let's get her." Kara steps forward and wraps her arms around my body.

"Hold on." She picks me up and takes a moment to push my head into her shoulder. It only takes a nanosecond to understand that Kara is holding me in the air with _one_ arm. Good grief.

Her arm comes back around me, and I feel a deep pressure around my entire body. I bite down to keep from crying out because of the pain. "Batwoman, are you okay?" Kara still has me in her arms.

"I'm… f-f-fine." Kara chuckles and I feel the vibrations from her body through my uniform.

"I'm going to put you down, okay?" I nod my head but keep my clutch tight on her arms until my feet touch the floor. I need to lean against the wall when she lets go to get my balance, but other than that I'm fine. Wait… wall? I take a moment to assess where we are; a long, grey hallway with black doors littering both sides. "Canary is at the end of the hallway." Without another word, Kara and I take off and stop in front of the door. She holds up her hand and counts down. "On go," she whispers. "Five… four… three… two… one… GO!"

 **XXX**

Twice in the same hospital in one day, for three different people; that has to be a record. At least this time I get to stay in uniform. After Supergirl and I arrived at the hospital with Canary in Kara's arms, I opted to stay and wait on news of her from the doctors. Kara disappeared as soon as she went into surgery. That was four hours ago.

"Batwoman?" I take my eyes away from the window and watch as Dr. Robins closes the door of his office behind him. "Black Canary is still in surgery, but they've gotten everything calmed down and are doing their best to put her in a stable enough state for the ICU." How bad is she that she needs to be stable for the _ICU_?

"What about the request made by Supergirl?"

Dr. Robins pauses for moment before going on. "We did as she requested. Everything was done to its entirety and sent to Detective Bullock as instructed."

"Are you sure?"

"I looked over everything myself."

"But are you sure _everything_ was done?"

Dr. Robins takes a breath before speaking. "This is not my first time doing a rape-kit Batwoman." I inwardly cringe as soon as he says the word, but I continue with the conversation.

"Thank you, Doctor Robins for all that you've done." He gives me a curt nod and exits his office. My eyes fall on the digital clock behind the desk of a nurses' station. It is 15 minutes shy of 9 AM. Dr. Robins' day is almost halfway over, while mine has just begun.

 **XXX**

I stare down at the key to Linda's apartment cupped in my hand. Part of me can't wait to see her. The other part of me is scared. Of what, I don't know, or maybe I do. After all that has happened, especially tonight, I am finally going to tell Linda how I really feel.

Maybe.

I put the key in and open the door. Weird how almost twelve hours ago, she and I were getting ready to eat our toasted cheese sandwiches and talk about what had happened in the alcove; funny how things can change so quickly. I place her key in the candy dish and set my purse on her couch before walking back to her room. Before I even reach the door, I hear crashes on the other side. I fling open the door and burst in to find Linda's entire bedroom trashed.

"Kate?" Standing in the middle of the tornado with a chunk of what may be her bed in her hand, is Linda. She's dressed in green pajama pants and a white camisole. When I look at her face, I see red around her eyes and her hair is a mess; she's been crying.

"You know…" For a moment, Linda looks like she's about to throw the chunk of wood at me, instead, she falls to the floor in a pathetic lump and cries. I rush to her side and take her in my arms. Holding her as tight as I can, I pet her hair and rock her back and forth until she falls asleep.

Yeah, things have definitely changed.


	18. Chapter 17

_"Hello?... No, you didn't wake me… Okay, maybe you did… I'm fine, I had a fit and tore up my room but other than that I'm good… I never said that… What about Kate?... Shouldn't she join us?... Oh, I beg to differ… Good… Bye, see you then._

I stretch out on the bed and feel for the body I was lying next to but it's gone. I open my eyes and give the room a once over. The entire room was cleaned, obviously while I was sleeping. No more clothes strewn everywhere and no broken pieces of bed on the floor. Out of the corner of my eye, the alarm clock—surprisingly still plugged in and in good shape—says 6:13 pm. I've been asleep for a little over six hours. Wow.

I throw the sheets off my legs to find I'm still in my jeans and blouse, but someone took off my socks, shoes, and jacket. When I swing my legs around, my feet land on my shoes with the socks neatly folded inside. My jacket is next to them. Linda must have done this. Speaking of, where is she? I hear a few clinks, probably from the kitchen, and get up to check. As I walk down the hallway towards the living room, I hear Linda speaking with someone. I pause for a second and listen in.

"Are you going tonight?" I don't peek around the corner in fear of being seen, but the voice is male and sounds vaguely familiar.

"Yeah, you?" says the voice of Linda. I don't hear anything in reply, so maybe the man gave a non-verbal reply. "Good, I think you need to get out of your head for a little while."

"I'm surprised Bruce even wanted me there. I thought he would cut me out for sure." The only Bruce they could be talking about is Bruce Wayne.

"He knows if he cuts you out you'll go off and investigate on your own. Inviting you is his way of keeping an eye on you." The man chuckles and there is the sound of a cup being set on a counter top.

"Good to know. Look, Linda, I've got to go. I'll see you later tonight, okay?"

"Okay." There's a silent pause until the sound of Linda's front door being open interrupts. "Be safe, Oliver. And try not to do anything stupid _until_ the meeting."

Oliver… as in Oliver Queen?

"I'll try, mother." Even though he's joking with Linda, there's sadness in his voice.

Her door closes, and I hear the lock then a sigh. After a few seconds, I step around the corner and see Linda sitting on the floor with her back on the door and her head in her hands.

"Linda?" She jumps in her position and wipes away some tears before looking at me.

"Kate…" She pushes herself to stand and walks into the kitchen. "I didn't hear you coming down the hallway, how long have you been there?" Her voice is filled with worry and a little fear, something I've never heard before.

"Just long enough to know you and Oliver Queen are going somewhere tonight. And that Bruce Wayne is going to be there." Linda was leaning over her counter, her shoulders tense and her hands gripping the edge of the table top. She relaxed as soon as I gave her my answer.

"Good… good…" She whispers under her breath. I don't know if she knows I can hear her and I don't think it matters either way. I sit at the counter and wait for Linda to turn around, but she just stays there and doesn't move. "Kate," she finally says. "I think you should leave."

"What?" is all I can get out. Linda turns around but keeps her eyes on the floor.

"I need to be somewhere tonight, and it requires a little… well, you just can't be here." I want to ask her for the specifics as to _why_ I can't stay with her, but I get it. Sometimes it's best to go your separate ways for the time being.

"Okay, Linda." I slide off the stool and gradually make my way to the bedroom to get my things and leave.

 **XXX**

The entire time I was in her apartment, from waking up to getting my socks and shoes on, grabbing my purse, and leaving, Linda's didn't look directly at me once. A part of me wants to blame myself for her attitude. The fact I saw her at an extremely weak moment, and took the liberty of putting her to bed and holding her in my arms until I fell asleep could have freaked her out, but the other part of me disagrees. The other part of me knows this has everything to do with Black Canary getting beaten up and raped. There is also a small part of me that wants to know why Linda is meeting with Oliver Queen and Bruce Wayne tonight, but that is going to have to wait.

Not long after I leave Linda's apartment, Barbara calls me and says all of us are meeting in the Cave at 9 pm. Since Batman and the rest of us don't meet before 10, this has to be important. It is 8:50 when I pull into the Cave. I see I'm not the only one here. Nightwing is here from Bludhaven, Tim Drake from wherever the Teen Titans have been, Huntress who I thought was with the League, and a fourth motorcycle I don't recognize but it's all green. I get off my bike and go up the stairs to the main floor where I am met by a large group of people.

"Good, Batwoman is here. We can begin," says Oracle. Batman is clearly irritated that one of his own—if you can call me that—is the last to arrive. I resist the urge to roll my eyes and stay at the back of the group. This gives me a chance to see who is here.

Starting all the way from the left and closest to Batman is Nightwing, Red Robin, Green Arrow (the fourth motorcycle), some chick wearing traditional Samurai armor, The Question (I didn't think Renee worked with people other than the Birds of Prey), Huntress, Batgirl, Robin, and Supergirl. Barbara is manning her usual role as Oracle in front of the computer and Bruce is standing next to her.

"You are all aware the Intergang trials started last Wednesday. In two days the key witness will be brought to the stand to testify." Barbara brings up newspaper articles to verify what Bruce is saying, I feel more for his benefit than the groups'. "Through several undercover operations, we have verified that Intergang has located the witness and are planning an attack tonight. Right now, The Flash and Superboy are on a covert mission and are securing the area where the witnessed is located." Barbara brings up a picture of them in their covert gear. "We also have another checking out the perimeter." Batman gives a nod to Supergirl; she steps forward and begins to speak. I'm taken aback because the only people Batman ever allows to speak during a debriefing are Barbara or Nightwing.

"As some of you know, Poison Ivy has turned over a new leaf," she smiles at her pun, "and has been working with the Birds of Prey for several years now. For those of you who didn't know, she is using her plants to secure a large perimeter. If anyone crosses it, her vines will send a message to her, and in turn she will send it to Batman and me." I wonder how Kara got to be on good report with Poison Ivy. "So if a creeper taps you on the shoulder, don't freak out. It's just Ivy." Other than Damian, everyone smiles or chuckles at Supergirl's attempt at humor. Even Batman cracks a small smile. "Something you should keep in mind is our assassin Night Shadow. It is said he will be taking the hit himself, so each of you will be given a special device that can stun our dear Doctor Barns."

"How does it work?" asks Green Arrow.

"Simple," Barbara brings up a simulation of using the device while Kara explains, "there are two buttons and one switch. The main switch powers up the device and keeps it charged for twenty-four hours max. The two buttons are used to stun. The smaller one in the middle is a simple Taser that can be used on anyone. The larger button on the left of the switch is for Night Shadow."

"Why do I feel there is a 'however' in there?" says Stephanie while crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes at Kara, a habit that came from not always getting the entire story. A constant happening when Stephanie first joined the Bat family, or so I was told.

"However… due to the amount of power needed for the device to work, one use drains the battery. Not even the Taser will work after that. The second however, is the light will only be effective if you are within twelve feet of Night Shadow, anything more than that will simply tick him off or cause temporary blindness that lasts no more than three seconds, give or take."

"A lot can happen in three seconds," remarks Damian, "but since this Night Shadow can travel _within_ the shadows, how will we get him in the first place?" Batman hands the device, which looks like a flashlight with a few more buttons, to Supergirl who hands it to Damian.

"My intel from the reporter Linda Lee-Danvers states that Barns can't disappear completely. He sticks out some, and because of this we should be able to spot him moving. And if a human reporter can track him for a good fifteen minutes, then a group of highly trained humans and people with superpowers should be able to catch him, right?" Kara winks at Damian who smiles slightly and presses the Taser button. The crackles from the charge make him smile from ear to ear.

Boys and their toys.

Supergirl steps back to let Batman wrap up the debriefing. Suddenly, Barbara taps Kara's right arm and motions for her to lean in while Bruce speaks.

"With Ivy creating an area of ten square miles, there will be a total of six teams of two manning sections within this area. Huntress and Green Arrow will take the northern perimeter, Red Robin and Batgirl will take the southern, Nightwing and Flash west, Katana and Batwoman east, Supergirl and Superboy will take the sky, and Robin and I will be inner perimeter. All the information you need is being uploaded to your communication devices at this moment by Oracle. Any questions?"

"What about The Question?" Everyone's eyes fall on me, except for Kara's, who is having a very quiet yet heated conversation with Barbara.

"The Question has a separate assignment that was given to her earlier. She will not be joining us in the field."

"…for the last time Barbara, no!" Everyone's attention flips to Kara, who realizes that last part came out louder than intended. She stands up straight and crosses her arms, pretending she didn't embarrass herself. "Batman, are we done here?"

It doesn't take a genius to know the reason Damian is smiling is because Bruce turned and gave Kara his patented Bat-glare; which doesn't seem to be phasing her in the slightest. Bruce lets out a low growl and turns to scans the group to see if anyone is confused.

"Yes, we're done here." As soon as the words leave his lips, everyone disperses with their assigned partner. Meanwhile, Bruce takes Kara by the arm and leads her to edge of the platform and away from everyone else. Damian looks upset that he and Batman won't be the first to leave but he doesn't dare interrupt whatever Bruce and Kara are talking about.

"Hello, Batwoman." I twitch and find Katana—the Samurai woman—only a foot away from me. I take a blatant step back.

"Nice to meet you, Katana."

"You are the first person outside of the Birds of Prey I have worked with." So that's how she's involved.

"That's good to know." Katana smiles and waits for me to lead the way to the lower deck where my motorcycle is.

"I would also like to tell you my husband is excited to work with you as well."

Wait… husband? What husband?


	19. Chapter 18

All of us arrived and slid into our duties of keeping watch and looking for anything suspicious. Kara took to the skies to meet up with Superboy as soon as we left the cave. I haven't seen her face-to-face since then.

 _10:30 pm_ _  
_ **Poison Ivy:** CLEAR  
 **Supergirl:** CLEAR  
 **Superboy:** CLEAR  
 **Huntress:** CLEAR  
 **Green Arrow:** CLEAR  
 **Red Robin:** CLEAR  
 **Batgirl:** CLEAR  
 **Nightwing:** CLEAR  
 **Flash:** CLEAR  
 **Katana:** CLEAR  
 **Batwoman:** CLEAR  
 **Robin:** CLEAR  
 **Batman:** CLEAR  
 **Oracle:** NO READINGS

 _…_

 _11:15 pm_ _  
_ **Poison Ivy:** CLEAR  
 **Supergirl:** CLEAR  
 **Superboy:** CLEAR  
 **Huntress:** CLEAR  
 **Green Arrow:** CLEAR  
 **Red Robin:** CLEAR  
 **Batgirl:** CLEAR  
 **Nightwing:** CLEAR  
 **Flash:** CLEAR  
 **Katana:** CLEAR  
 **Batwoman:** CLEAR  
 **Robin:** CLEAR  
 **Batman:** CLEAR  
 **Oracle:** NO READINGS

All is quiet, except for the screeching of an occasional owl and/or bat.

 _12:00 am_ _  
_ **Poison Ivy:** LEVEL 1 PERIMETER BREACH. OWL KILLED A BAT  
 **Supergirl:** THAT'S NOT NECESSARY IVY – CLEAR  
 **Poison Ivy:** JUST THOUGHT YOU SHOULD KNOW  
 **Superboy:** CLEAR  
 **Huntress:** CLEAR  
 **Green Arrow:** CLEAR  
 **Red Robin:** CLEAR  
 **Batgirl:** CLEAR  
 **Nightwing:** HOW SYMBOLIC – CLEAR  
 **Flash:** HUH? – CLEAR  
 **Katana:** I REMEMBER THAT NIGHT – CLEAR  
 **Batwoman:** CLEAR  
 **Robin:** CLEAR  
 **Batman:** CLEAR  
 **Oracle:** HOW COULD YOU FORGET? – NO READINGS

I know what they're talking about; The Night of the Owls. Unfortunately, I had my own watery issues to worry about.

 _12:45 am_ _  
_ **Poison Ivy:** CLEAR  
 **Supergirl:** CLEAR  
 **Superboy:** CLEAR  
 **Huntress:** CLEAR  
 **Green Arrow:** CLEAR  
 **Red Robin:** CLEAR  
 **Batgirl:** CLEAR  
 **Nightwing:** CLEAR  
 **Flash:** CLEAR  
 **Katana:** CLEAR  
 **Batwoman:** CLEAR  
 **Robin:** CLEAR  
 **Batman:** CLEAR  
 **Oracle:** NO READINGS

It's been over two hours and still no sighting of Night Shadow or anyone from Intergang. Either Batman's info is wrong or they're waiting until the witness is fast asleep to strike.

 _1:30 am_ _  
_ **Poison Ivy:** CLEAR  
 **Supergirl:** CLEAR  
 **Superboy:** BORED STUPID – CLEAR  
 **Huntress:** GET OVER IT – CLEAR  
 **Green Arrow:** CLEAR  
 **Red Robin:** WE'LL DO SOMETHING FUN AFTER THIS – CLEAR  
 **Batgirl:** CAN I COME? – CLEAR  
 **Nightwing:** GO OUT FOR ICE-CREAM – CLEAR  
 **Flash:** WHAT ARE THEY, TWELVE? – CLEAR  
 **Katana:** THEY ARE FREE TO JOIN ME FOR A SPARRING MATCH AFTERWARDS – CLEAR  
 **Batwoman:** CLEAR  
 **Robin:** I WANT TO SPAR WITH KATANA – CLEAR  
 **Batman:** NO – CLEAR  
 **Oracle:** NO READINGS

…

 _2:15 am_ _  
_ **Poison Ivy:** CLEAR  
 **Supergirl:** THERE ARE TWO GUARDS COMING YOUR WAY HUNTRESS – CLEAR  
 **Superboy:** CLEAR  
 **Huntress:** I SEE THEM, THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT GOLF – CLEAR  
 **Green Arrow:** I USED TO PLAY, AND I WASN'T TOO BAD EITHER – CLEAR  
 **Red Robin:** OOH, LET'S GO MINI-GOLFING AFTER THIS – CLEAR  
 **Batgirl:** WHAT'S OPEN THIS LATE? – CLEAR  
 **Nightwing:** JOES'S TWENTY-FOUR HOUR MINI-GOLFING – CLEAR  
 **Flash:** WHO WOULD WANT TO PLAY MINI-GOLF AT THREE IN THE MORNING? – CLEAR  
 **Red Robin:** I DO  
 **Superboy:** AS LONG AS THERE ARE NO MONKIES  
 **Batgirl:** WHY WOULD THERE BE MONKIES AT A PUTT-PUTT PLACE?  
 **Superboy:** THERE COULD BE  
 **Supergirl:** YOU TWO ARE RIDICULOUS  
 **Katana:** THE SPARRING OPTION IS STILL OPEN – CLEAR  
 **Batwoman:** CLEAR  
 **Robin:** CAN I GO MINI-GOLFING? – CLEAR  
 **Batman:** I'LL THINK ABOUT IT – CLEAR  
 **Supergirl:** LET HIM GO BATMAN, IT'LL BE GOOD FOR HIM  
 **Oracle:** I AGREE - NO READINGS

 ** _Supergirl's P.O.V_**

"That Batwoman isn't a talker, is she?"

"Casual convo isn't really her style during sting operations."

"I've noticed." Kon-El drops another ten feet below me to get a closer look at the cabin and its surrounding area. There are over 30 police officers and FBI agents surrounding the cabin, with five highly-trained special forces officers inside. I did my research.

I X-rayed the building as soon as I got here. The witness was sitting in the kitchen and chatting with an FBI agent that had come in to check up on them. Now the witness is fast-asleep, getting rest for their day in court. Superboy will be there undercover as protection, but I'll be there as Linda Lee-Danvers on the behalf of the Daily Planet like I have been for the past week.

Before showing up for the sting, I got a call from Bullock. The GCPD S.W.A.T team took down the operation I discovered with Kate, yesterday. I can't believe it's only been a day since then. It's felt like a week since I brought Dinah to the hospital. And it's felt like a month since Kate and I were hanging out in my apartment, getting ready to eat our toasted cheese-sandwiches and talk about what happened in that alcove.

Time.

That is what it all comes down to. Time. And I'm running out of it. Diana called me on the League communicator to tell me she expects me soon. I only have a few more days in Gotham before I have to meet her in London. I need to set things straight with Kate before then.

 _3:45 am_ _  
_ **Poison Ivy:** SOMETHING PASSED THE PERIMETER, NOT ANIMAL  
 **Supergirl:** I DON'T SEE ANYTHING  
 **Superboy:** I DO, GREEN ARROW YOU'RE UP  
 **Huntress:** I SEE HIM  
 **Green Arrow:** GOT HIM  
 **Red Robin:** NIGHT SHADOW?  
 **Huntress:** NO, INTERGANG THUG  
 **Batgirl:** I'VE GOT TWO MORE IN MY SIGHT  
 **Nightwing:** ONE IN MINE  
 **Flash:** SAME  
 **Katana:** CLEAR IN OUR AREA  
 **Batwoman:** NEED ASSISTANCE?  
 **Robin:** WE'VE GOT NIGHT SHADOW  
 **Batman:** ON GO  
 **Oracle:** GO!

 **XXX**

The operation goes down relatively smoothly. All of us took out our respective Intergang thugs, but the real catch was when Robin took down Night Shadow, and according to Supergirl, without the assistance of Batman. Batman says they're planning on taking him to the new Star Labs compound on the outskirts of Gotham. There, he can be dealt with accordingly.

With everyone leaving to go spar or play mini-golf, the only thing left to do is check on the witness. Supergirl was assigned to do that and I volunteered to go with her.

"Batwoman." I look above me and see Kara floating down to meet me.

"What's with the change in costume?" She is no longer in her black covert uniform but her normal one.

"I'd like to keep the fact I own a covert uniform from the press as long as possible." I nod to show I understand and follow her as we walk towards the cabin.

"I'm surprised with how fast you changed."

"Super-speed, it comes in handy."

"Of course." I watch Kara from the corner of my eye and she winks at me. I smile and enjoy the walk, however short, to the cabin.

When the officers and agents see us, they approach us and shake Supergirl's hand. No one comes up to me. Just as we approach the front door, a marine steps out of the house and salutes both myself and Kara.

"Stand down, captain. I'm not your superior." The captain lowers his hand and goes to shake Kara's.

"It's just good to see you, is all." Captain Osgood lets go of her hand and shakes mine. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Batwoman." I'm glad he's not confusing me with Barbara and calling me Batgirl. Then again, with Stephanie being Batgirl now that shouldn't be an issue. Captain Osgood steps back and opens the door for us. "She's inside."

She?

Kara leads the way as we step in and stand in the main room, which is filled with four other marines and three FBI agents wearing bullet-proof vests. "She's in the back," says Osgood, closing the door behind us. Kara moves past the men and heads straight for what looks like the kitchen. Osgood and I follow behind.

"Kara? Is that you?" says a soprano voice with a French accent. Out of nowhere, a small girl jumps in Kara's arms. Kara laughs and spins her around a few times then puts her down. "Je vous ai manqué. Où avez-vous été?"

Kara laughs and moves a long strand of curly auburn hair out of the girl's eyes. "Je protégeais votre vie." The girl makes a face as she laughs this time.

"Your French is still not very good." Kara sticks out her tongue.

"It would be if I had a better teacher." The girl smacks Kara's arm and Kara feigns hurt. The two laugh and play for a few minutes, until Kara remembers they aren't the only ones in the room. "Oh, Maddie. Ceci est mon ami, Batwoman." Maddie smiles widely at me then stands on her tip-toes and grabs me by the shoulders to pull me down and kiss me on both of my cheeks. To my surprise, she also gives me a chaste kiss on the lips. I pull back a little surprised and see Kara with her hand over her face shaking her head. "Ne pas embrasser les gens sur le Maddie lèvres." Maddie goes wide-eyed for a second then looks at Kara and me before saying sorry to us.

"Je suis désolé. I keep forgetting people don't like to be randomly kissed on the lips." Maddie sits at the kitchen table. I notice there is no one else in the room except for the three of us.

"The first time," starts Kara, "that I met Maddie was at a hotel. She wanted to meet me, so I arranged to meet her and her entourage in a large office in the hotel I was staying at. I'm waiting for her, and mind you I was in my official Kryptonian clothes, when she bursts through the doors and makes a beeline for me. And just as the doors close and I put out my hand to greet her, she takes me by the shoulders and does the same thing she did to you." Maddie laughs at Kara. It sounds like the tinkling of small bells.

"You should have seen the look on her face," adds Maddie, "and how her face turned red as an apple. In that moment, I did not know if she was going to slap me or faint from mortification." Kara takes her cape and pulls it around so it's draped over her right arm then leans against the kitchen counter, all the while laughing.

"Looking back, I can laugh about it. But I warned her not to do it again, at least without my permission." I don't like the feeling I get when Kara insinuates she would even let this Maddie kiss her. Then again, this could be Kara being polite. I stand in the middle of the kitchen and look between the two of them. Their body language reminds me of old friends from high school or long lost sisters.

"Maddie, you're the witness I take it." Maddie nods and leans back in her chair slightly. "How did you get involved with Intergang? How do you know all of this damning evidence against so many people?" Maddie smiles and looks at Kara. Kara nods her head slightly, as if giving her the approval to do something.

" _I have a certain specialty that comes with my services."_ I open and close my mouth and take a closer look at Maddie. _"What is wrong Batwoman? Scared I will see your secret identity?"_

Maddie is telepathic.

"Madeline is the niece of the prime-minister of France," says Kara. "She's also a meta-human and a talented one at that. When I first met her, she tried looking into my mind. Thankfully, Martian Manhunter and Miss Martian taught me a few tricks to keep out unwanted visitors." I look from Kara to Maddie.

"One of the officers in the foreign division of Intergang began courting me, after I broke it off with him another Intergang member, from your domestic side, began dating me. Through him, I was able to learn most of their secrets that involved the U.S.A and Canada. When I had enough, I took some needed proof and began helping the FBI."

"Sooner than later," interjected Kara, "Intergang caught on and tried to have her killed. I stepped in with the help of Batman and saved her life. She was put into protective custody and the rest is history."

I take the time to mull over what I've learned. "If you are telepathic, and if Supergirl really was trying to find you, how come she didn't?"

"Kara flies too high and at night. I usually go to bed quite early. Besides, my telepathic abilities don't have a very large radius. Anyway, it is half past four in the morning. I need my beauty rest for tomorrow. The Gotham D.A is moving my testimony up by a day, so I am due in court tomorrow. So, bonne nuit... ou bonjour." Kara laughs and gives Maddie a hug and a kiss on the top of her head goodnight. Then Maddie comes over to me and kisses me on the cheek.

" _Do not worry Batwoman, I won't tell Kara you have a severe crush on her."_ Maddie pulls back with winks before heading off to her bedroom. When she's gone, I look at Kara, who is giving me that odd look again.

"It's getting late," she says, "or should I say early. I've been up for nearly two days straight and even _I_ need my beauty sleep. I'll walk you out." Kara and I go out the front entrance. The agents, officers, and marines say their goodbyes and a few escort us until we've reached the edge of where Poison Ivy's perimeter was. We watch as the two officers disappear into the woods. I don't say anything to Kara until I'm sure we're alone.

"So, with Night Shadow caught and your friend protected and ready to testify, what will you do?" Kara looks at me and smiles softly.

"Wonder Woman needs me in London. There is a large conference going on between certain members of the League and a few diplomats concerning the recent anti-meta-human rallies going on in Bialya."

"I didn't know that was going on?"

"And that's how Bialya wants it."

"When will you be leaving?"

"Tomorrow." Oh. Wow, this is sooner than I expected. "…we should plan something."

"Huh?"

Kara laughs. "I said, since I'm leaving tomorrow night we should plan something. Just the two of us."

"Sounds great."

"Then it's a date." Kara smiles widely then floats up. "Oh, and Batwoman? No costumes." Kara winks at me then takes off into the night sky.

Tomorrow I have a date with Supergirl. I need to get home before a let out a girlish squeal of delight or something to that nature. I'm still, after all, an adult.

* * *

 **The French in this chapter is based entirely on Google translate.**


	20. Chapter 19

Tonight, is the night I get to spend some alone time with Supergirl. No costumes, no masks, no potential life-threatening situation for us to worry about; just her and me, Kara and Kate, Kara Zor-El and Katherine Kane. Okay, I need admit something, I'm _extremely_ nervous. I have no reason to be, it's not like it's a _real_ date or anything, but still.

I'm manning my book shop which I have been neglecting. I've been so caught up in drama the past few days that it's been hard to wake up when need be.

"Hey, I heard today you're having a buy-one, get the other half-off sale." I snap out of my daydream and go to correct the customer but stop and smile.

"Hi, Maggie."

"Hi Maggie?" she says while leaning on the counter. "I get knocked out by some tattooed chick and wake up in the hospital with two uniforms watching over me, and after hearing you came and checked up on me all I get is a 'Hi Maggie'?" I walk around the counter to give her a hug. "That's better." I pull away first and get a good look at her. There are dark circles under her eyes and she looks thinner than when I last saw her, but you would look like that too after sleeping on a hospital bed for a few days while eating their food.

"You look tired and thin."

Maggie gives me a look and crosses her arms. "Oh yeah, that's what every woman wants to hear. You look awful and gaunt."

"I didn't say that."

"You said it nicely." We pause for a few seconds then burst into laughter. "It's good to see you again, Kate. It's been a while." I return behind the counter and ring up the books she placed on it.

"It's good to see you, too. We haven't seen each other since that afternoon at the Chinese restaurant." I stop for a second before ringing up the book in my hand. "The World Unseen… don't you have this book?"

"I did, but remember about six months ago when my apartment blew up?" How could I forget? Maggie stayed with me while she looked for a new apartment; it was nice having her around but to be honest, living with her is a bit of a nightmare. I nod, and she goes on. "Well, that bomb took out my library and I've been working on restoring what I had including a few new books."

"How do you know what you had?"

"I have an inventory of all that I own." Of course, she does. I finish checking out all her books and put them in a bag.

"Fifty-eight, forty-seven." Maggie hands me a fifty and a ten-dollar bill and I hit the cash register's button to get her change.

"You know, I would have been here earlier but every time I came by the store was closed."

"Sorry, my personal life has gotten a bit hectic lately."

"I heard. How is Linda?" I slowly close the register and hand Maggie her change.

"She's fine. A little sore but she'll live."

"I heard the bullet was through-n-through. I also heard she disappeared the same night she was administered to the hospital."

"You sure heard a lot of things while you were unconscious."

Maggie smiles. "Yeah well, Bullock has been keeping me informed of everything that I missed. So-" Another customer clears his throat behind Maggie. She steps aside and I ring up his books then send him on his way.

"You were saying."

"Never mind."

"Mags, what were you going to say?" She clears her throat.

"What happened to Linda? How did she leave the hospital in that condition?" I think carefully over the words I need.

"Supergirl pulled her out. I don't know why but she did."

"Sounds like that upset you."

I let out a breath then take one before continuing. "A little. In the past few days, I've realized Linda and Supergirl have this bond, this relationship I can't explain."

"Kate, Linda Lee-Danvers has gotten more exclusives with Supergirl than anyone, other than Jimmy Olson who is an extremely close second. It's kind of like how Lois Lane is Superman's favorite reporter."

"Wasn't there a rumor they were dating?" Maggie starts laughing and doesn't stop until she's crouched over holding onto the counter for dear life. "I don't see what's so funny about this." She finally gets a hold of herself.

"Kate, that's stupid. There is _nothing_ more than a professional relationship and maybe a friendship between Linda Lee-Danvers and Supergirl. Supergirl a lesbian…" Maggie lets out a snort then grabs her bag of books, " _please_." I narrow my eyes at her as she walks out of the shop.

"I'm glad you find this is amusing."

Maggie turns and winks at me. "Good because it is."

As soon as she closes the door behind her, I hear a loud guffaw from outside and see Linda walk in my shop a few seconds after. Even as Linda closes the door, I can still hear Maggie laughing her butt off. The shop goes quiet again as soon as the door completely closes.

"May I ask why Detective Maggie Sawyer of GCPD began to laugh hysterically as soon as she saw me?" asks Linda while pointing back at the door with her thumb.

"It's been a long day for her."

"Clearly." She stops at the counter and taps a little cadence on the table-top. "So, how are you, Katherine Kane? And how's the shop doing?"

"Fine, a little tired, but fine."

"Understandable, especially between me getting shot and Maggie getting knocked out, me having a mental breakdown and you comforting me, and then me kicking you out of my apartment without giving you a reason, I can see how that would be exhausting." Linda smiles widely at me. I've always liked her smile. I feel this warmth inside every time she does.

"Yeah, I guess."

It fades into a frown accompanied by a crinkle between her eyebrows. "Look, about me kicking you out, I'm sorry. I was in a weak spot and I didn't like you seeing me like that. I don't like _anyone_ seeing me like that. I needed to clear my head and get some composure and I couldn't do that with you around. I'm sorry. Will you forgive me?"

"Of _course,_ I'll forgive you," I say before I can stop myself. Drawn by Linda's natural energy and warmth, I even run around the counter and giving Linda a big hug. She holds me tightly in her arms for only a few seconds. When she lets go, she pushes her glasses up her nose and smiles crookedly at me.

"I've missed that." Linda tilts her head and gives me a look of confusion. "The glasses, I've missed you doing that." Linda quickly makes her glasses pop up and down on her face then wiggles her eyebrows at me. I laugh with amazement. "How did you do that?"

" _Precise_ muscle control." Oh, boy. The smile slides off my face and I walk to my spot behind the register. "Kate, you okay?"

"Mhm," I say, nodding. Linda scrunches her brow again, which I find adorable, then scratches the back of her neck.

"Okay… I was wondering if you'd like to join me for lunch." She says this all slowly, still trying to figure out what just happened. Teenager. Me. I swear.

"That's sweet, but um, I already have some food upstairs." The lift of her eyebrows shows her surprise. I really should be itching to go with her, and I am, but my neglect of the store has forced me into store arrest.

"Alright, well I'll see you around then." Linda goes to leave then back pedals quickly, almost dropping her bag in the process. "I almost forgot, I'm leaving in a few days to cover the Bialyan meta-human issue and I was wondering if you wanted to meet before then."

"I thought you were going to London?"

"I _was_ , but my editor Perry White changed his mind the last second and I'm going to be escorted with a few other reporters from Qurac and into Bialya."

"Isn't that dangerous?"

"Completely. But I've handled stuff like this before and I've obviously come out alive, and I'll do the same for this story."

"I liked it better when you were going to London." Linda's face softens, and she steps to the counter and before I can react, takes both of my hands into hers.

"Kate, I'll be okay. Superboy will be escorting us into Bialya and Miss Martian will be watching over us from then on. Everything is planned out. It'll be okay?"

"What about Diana?" Linda's hands loosen but don't let go of mine.

"Yeomen Prince? She's the girlfriend of the JLA liaison Steve Trevor and my source of all things Justice League. She's the one who encouraged Perry to send me to Bialya."

"So, what? I should thank her for putting you in danger?" Linda lets go of my hands completely and steps away from me.

"Kate, where is this coming from?"

"I…" Where is this coming from? Is now the time to tell Linda my feelings, or no? "I care about you." No, it isn't. "And I don't want anything to happen to you." Linda tilts her head to the left and gives me that look again.

"Katherine, I care about you too. But this is what I do. People _need_ to know what is going on over there, and the Daily Planet, whether under PGN or not, is one of the few newspapers that actually tell you the truth. There are still Bialyan supporters out there who believe that country is not filled with a big chunk of terroristic hateful people. There are meta-human and regular humans _suffering_ over there, and until people open their eyes it will never change."

"And you think telling a few stories will work?"

"Truth always works. Look, I know many people will still deny the truth even with evidence, but it's all I can do. And it's what I will do. See ya around, Kane." And without another word from either or us, Linda leaves the shop.

 **XXX**

After pacing back and forth for an hour I still don't feel any less nervous than when I got home. On top of that, it's nippy up here on the top of the Gotham Cathedral. When I got home, I found an envelope on my floor; it had been slid underneath my door. It was a letter from Supergirl telling me to meet her where we first met and to dress nice—not like I was going to dress like a bum to begin with. After going through my entire closet, twice, I settled on a pair of black jeans and a button-up green shirt. Since I knew it was going to be chilly, I grabbed a light jean jacket and my black beret.

"Nervous, are we?" I jump and almost bump into a pair of feet hovering in front of my face. I follow the feet up as they float down. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

"You didn't."

"That's good." Kara touches down and smiles at me. "I like your clothes. They kind of remind me of Linda's."

"Oh, well that's what _every_ girl wants to here, her being compared to _another_ girl."

"You should take that as a compliment. Linda is a great kid."

"Kid? You two look like you could be the same age."

"Technically, I'm older than Superman."

I'm sorry, what?

Kara chuckles softly at the surprise and confusion probably on my face. "To make a long story short, I was trapped in a stasis pod and because I was released too late Superman ended up aging past me."

"Wow. How much older are you than him?"

"About seventeen years."

Geez, I remember Batman stating he and Superman were born within six years of each other. If that's true, based upon how old I am compared to Bruce… that would put Kara in her fifties! "How old are you really?"

Kara thinks over it for a second. "I think I'm fifty-four no… fifty- _six_ years old."

"That makes you over twenty years older than me."

"Hey! Technically I've only aged to between twenty-five and thirty. In other words, I wouldn't try to make me out to be old enough to be a member of the Modern Maturity Center, yet."

"Whatever…" I wink at Kara. She just rolls her eyes and chuckles softly. This gives me the chance to look over her outfit again. "I thought we said no costumes." Kara steps back and places her hands on her hips.

"I will have you know that this is _not_ a costume."

"I'm not complaining. You look hot, but I was figuring you were going to be wearing-"

"Something a bit more civilian?"

"Yeah."

Kara shrugs then leans against the wall. "I only wear civilian clothes when I'm undercover. Other than my Kryptonian clothing, this is all I have that's Supergirl-ish." Kara pushes off the wall and rotates slowly to show off the rest of the outfit. "I modified it a bit to make it look less punk-rock, but it's still pretty out there, for me anyway."

"Where did you get it?" Kara takes a deep breath and closes her eyes for a second. "Kara?" She holds her hand up to quiet me then opens her eyes.

"Remember those stories about Supergirl losing it in Metropolis?"

"Vaguely."

"For me it still feels like yesterday." Kara sits on the ledge and I follow suit. "Those moments were mental relapses. Years ago, Superman, Superboy, and I were kidnapped by an otherworldly villain called Darkseid. He had kidnapped Superman before but this time he went after all three of us. He wanted to brainwash us in order to create these mighty warriors. Since he succeeded with Superman before, Kal-El knew how to fight it. Superboy, Kon-El, has other powers Superman and I don't have and he used them to fight. Sadly, I wasn't as strong as them." I place my hand on her shoulder, and she reaches up and squeezes it gently.

"Darkseid succeeded in bringing out this monster that I didn't even know existed inside of me. I… I killed people, Kate. I used my heat-vision to burn holes into them, my super-breath to break their bones, to freeze them to death. I even crushed a man's head with my just two of my fingers. And I know you don't want nor need to hear this, but I wanted you to know where I got the outfit from." Kara looks at me from the corner of her eye and gives me a sheepish smile.

I feel telling me what she went through, even without all the details, is a form of therapy for her. I'm flattered, and honored Kara can tell me this. Maybe one day I can do the same. Kara stands and holds out her hand for mine. I take it and she pulls me up.

"Follow me." With my hand still in hers, she takes me past the gargoyles until we reach the spot Kara set up. "What do you think?" I let go of her hand and soak it in. The entire area is lit up with Chinese lanterns. In the middle of all this light are two chairs and a small table you might find in front of a French café. The table is set for two with a single carnation sitting in a small vase between the two settings; my favorite flower.

"Kara, this is amazing!" I give her the biggest and tightest hug I can muster. As she holds me, I repeatedly say thank you and don't stop until she puts me down. "This is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me." Between Kara and Linda, I'm turning into a sappy hug person.

"What can I say? I'm a sucker for making people happy." Kara lets go of me then motions for me to sit down. "Wait here." Kara disappears into the belfry and reappears with a three-shelved cart filled with covered dishes. She comes to a stop next to the table. "I hope you like them." She removes the first cover, then another, then another, each unveiling a favorite dish of mine.

"Kara, how did you know I like these?" She but doesn't say anything at first, not until she has shown everything on the first shelf.

"I'd thought I make you a smorgasbord board of food so that you could pick from whatever you wanted."

"You made all of this?"

"What? Are you surprised I can cook?"

"A little, I didn't even know you ate. Batman said you and Superman primarily get your energy from the sun."

"We do, but eating is sort of a habit we don't feel like breaking." I stare at all the food Kara made for me.

"Kara?" She was about to disappear into the belfry again but stopped and looked at me. "What's your favorite food?"

Kara thinks for a little then smiles widely. "Dark chocolate-covered strawberries," she says before disappearing for a few moments. Note-to-self; buy strawberries more often. When she reappears, she is carrying a bottle of wine still in the chiller. "Batman let me have one of his wines for this." Kara pops the cork and pours the wine then lets me pick which meal I want to start with first. Afterwards, I let her pick what she wants to eat, and we fall into a night of easy chit-chat and quiet eating.

When I check my watch the next time, it's been three hours since we started the dinner. We've already gone through the main courses and a few of the deserts. We settled down to me drinking mint-flavored hot-cocoa and her eating a bowl of rice-pudding.

"You know," she says before taking another bite of her dessert, "Batgirl introduced this to me. I was still fairly new to Earth and she was in Metropolis showing me a bit of humanity. We had stopped into a diner around ten at night. Neither of us was really hungry, so she ordered two bowls of rice-pudding. You should have seen my face the first time I tasted it. We had nothing like it on Krypton." She finishes her thought by taking a bite from the spoon.

"Tell me about it," I begin, "Krypton. What was it like?" She peers up at me with the spoon still in her mouth then eventually releases it and pushes the bowl away.

"Krypton was one of the most advanced civilizations for its time. Even for an alien planet. It was thought that Krypton was on the verge of hitting its technological peak. In fact, I'm sure the only thing we hadn't truly conquered was time travel. My father Zor-El was working in the advanced technologies department. He was assigned to make the things we could already do work even faster and better. Jor-El, Superman's father, was involved with planetary work. Basically, he was our 'green guy', the one who was constantly for the planet. On top of that, he was a doctor of medicine and created one of the most advanced prisons in all the galaxies; the Phantom Zone."

Linda takes another bite of rice-pudding before continuing. "Though primarily used by Krypton, the Phantom Zone has also been used by other planets and is in charge of harboring the deadliest and most evil of villains. He was a brilliant man, and I can see that some of that brilliance, along with the stubbornness, was inherited by Superman." Kara takes a break from talking and has a sip of wine.

"As interesting as it is to learn about your planet, I'm more interested in your family."

Kara puts the wine down. "Okay. My father was… kind, sweet, and awful at telling jokes. He cared for people, all people. Everything he said I took as gospel. You could say I was a daddy's girl." I smile and reach for my own wine. "I wanted to be just like him, a scientist. My mother on the other hand did not see that in my future. Now, I've found that no matter what planet you're on or galaxy you are in, a mother is still a mother. She cares deeply for you but a good majority of the time her caring comes across a little extreme. For instance, usually you pick whomever you want to marry but there is the old-fashioned way of doing it too. My mother chose the latter. You get put on a CAT-scan like machine, go through a few tests, and voilà, you have a chance of being with your genetically-primed match."

"Seriously?"

Kara laughs. "Yeah, and though I detested every moment of those tests, looking back I can see my mother was being my mother. She wanted what was best for me and thought that was the best way of doing so. I loved her, and I miss her often, and the same goes for my father. Every night I say a prayer just for them. It brings a certain peace to my soul." Kara had been looking up at the sky while telling me this. It isn't until she brought her head down that I realized she was crying.

Without a second thought, I jump out of my seat and hug her again. She is surprised to say the least, but eventually she relaxes and hugs me back. When she pulls away, she wipes the tears from her eyes as well as the ones from mine. I didn't even notice I was crying. "As much as I love being here right now, it's time for me to leave." I give her one last hug, not really wanting her to go, and step back to let her take off. "Don't worry about cleaning up. A friend of mine said he would do it for me. Goodbye Batwoman, I do hope we meet again and soon." Slowly, Kara ascends into sky, leaving me with that same look she had given me before.

"Kara!" She stops and floats closer to me. "That look you keep giving me. What does it mean?"

Affection and warmth radiates from her eyes and stretches her mouth into the most beautiful smile I have ever seen form her. "It means I love you." And with that, she's gone.


	21. Chapter 20 (FINAL CHAPTER)

After Supergirl leaves, I don't feel the need to stick around longer than I need to. Although, I am curious to see who will be cleaning up after us, I figure they won't show until I leave. I grab the carnation off the table, including the vase, and leave the cathedral around 2:00 am. Instead of the fast track, I take the scenic route on the walk back to my apartment. To be frank, the walk from the Gotham Cathedral to my apartment is about an hour long but I don't care.

I've got another thirty minutes to my apartment when I spy Stephanie leaving a restaurant with Tim Drake. They talk for a few moments and then kiss. It's cute and I think they make a great couple. But from personal experiences, I know having a relationship with another crime fighter can be difficult. Tim and Stephanie end their kiss and he walks away backwards to his motorcycle, which causes him to almost fall over it. Stephanie giggles and watches him get on his bike.

"You two make a sweet couple." Stephanie tears her eyes from Tim. She smiles once she realizes who spoke to her.

"We do, don't we? Hey! What are you doing up so late? I figured you be catching up on some sleep with Bruce giving us the night off."

"I had other plans." Stephanie gives me a lecherous smile and bumps my hip.

"You wouldn't happen to be sneaking out of someone's apartment, now would you?"

I go wide-eyed and hit Stephanie in the arm. "Steph!"

She laughs and hits me back. "Oh, come on Kate. How many times have I been on patrol and caught you sneaking out of some one-night-stand's apartment?"

"One time! That happened one time!" Stephanie's laugh turns into a mix of giggles and snorts and it catches the attention of the few people walking by us. "Steph," I say, lowering my voice from our audience. "Perhaps it would be best if we continue this conversation inside your car." Stephanie pulls out her keys and tries to hand them to me while attempting to get control of her laughter. I mutter a few expletives under my breath while unlocking her car and getting in. "Come on Steph, get your ass in the car."

She stands straight and makes her way over to me. "Ooh, Kate Kane cussed. I haven't heard that in a while. Is that girl-scout sweet stuff Linda and Supergirl rubbed on you finally wearing off?" Stephanie slides into the passenger seat and I pull away from the curb and in the direction of my apartment.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Stephanie yawns and reclines her seat.

"Ever since you've been hanging around those two goody-two-shoes, you've lost your bite, Kate."

"Trust me, my bite is still good."

Stephanie chuckles but keeps her eyes closed. "I'm just sayin'." She only says that when she has more to say but doesn't feel like arguing.

I sigh and signal to go right down Smith St. "What is it?"

Stephanie shrugs and snuggles into her seat. "You've…" she opens her eyes and looks directly at me. "You've matured, Kate. You're growing up. Even Bruce commented on that the other night."

"Really?"

"Yeah, he was talking with Babs and Supergirl when he said it too. Babs agreed but Supergirl was a little unsure."

"What!" Stephanie reaches up and pushes my face back to the road. "Steph, what did Supergirl say?"

"Nothing really, she said you weren't quite there yet, that there was something missing."

"Something missing? What's missing?"

"How should I know?" I focus on my driving the best I can, but the fact Kara didn't quite agree makes me unnerved.

How come she didn't tell me about this during dinner?

"Whoa! What?"

Oops, I said that last part out loud.

"Your date was Supergirl, _the_ Supergirl?" I give Stephanie a sheepish grin, which might just match the one the Girl of Steel gave me earlier tonight. She pulls her seat up and angles her body to stare at me. Great.

"It was nothing."

"Uh-uh, dinner is _always_ something. Now Supergirl doesn't do dinner with anyone, so you must be pecial to her in order for her to take time out of her day to do it. Especially since this was her last day in Gotham. Dish." I finally reach my apartment and find a spot across the street from it. When I put the car in park, I unbuckle and turn so I can speak to Stephanie properly.

"Okay," I take a breath, "here it goes…" I tell Stephanie everything, from the day I met Supergirl to the dinner. Surprisingly, she doesn't interrupt me. This also disturbs me because Stephanie can never go one minute without interrupting a conversation. "So, what do you think?"

She doesn't say anything but keeps this blank stare on her face. Then slowly, almost second-by-second, her blank stare turns into a bright Cheshire smile.

"You. Went. On. A Date. With. Supergirl… Totally freakin' awesome!" Stephanie lurches forward and envelops me in a tight hug.

"Steph… Stephanie, you're choking me." She lets go and tries to fix my jacket and beret that fell off. "That's not the reaction I was expecting."

"Kate, do you know what you are?"

"Lucky?"

"Rare! You are one of the few who have an insight into the psyche of the great and powerful Supergirl. Someone with whom men and women have crushed on since she first arrived. You, my dear Kate Kane, are her friend. A rarity when it comes to that blonde bluebird."

"Then why do I feel like I know very little about her? That there is this whole other side to her I might never see?"

"That's the thing about us, human or alien, we never show others the whole picture just a small piece. But even if Supergirl hasn't made her your confidante, you need to know you are a part of her fave five. I wouldn't take that for granted if I were you."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Good, now get out of my car so I can go home." I smack Stephanie in the arm and get out. As I walk around it, she stops me for a moment. "You know, Kate you really are one lucky duck."

"I know Steph and thank you." Stephanie grins then gets into the driver's side. I watch her pull off and wait to go inside until her car disappears.

Since the elevator is broken, I take the stairs up to my apartment. Before I even reach the door, I can see someone sitting in front of it.

"Linda?" Her head pops up and she smiles at me. Once I reach my door, she is already standing with her bag on her shoulder. "What you doing here so late?"

"I didn't like how we left things last time and wanted to talk with you about it. I didn't realize you'd be out so late." Earlier, I figured Linda would be the friend cleaning up Kara's and my dinner, but I guess I was wrong.

"How long have you been waiting here?"

Linda runs a hand through her hair and shrugs. "Not sure."

As I unlock the door, I use the time to give Linda a onceover. She's wearing black flip-flops (which is odd considering how chilly it is tonight), a pair of dark-blue jeans torn at the knees, a red flannel shirt, and her worn-out tan jacket. Her dark brown hair looks more unruly than usual and she has a new pair of glasses hanging off the edge of her nose. I open the door and let Linda precede me, so I can close and lock the door behind us.

"Make yourself comfortable. I'll be right back." She gives me a crooked smile then sits on my couch. I go to my bedroom and drop off my coat, beret, shoes, and purse. When I walk into the living room, Linda is reclining on the couch. Her jacket is draped over the back of it and her bare feet are propped up on the couch's arm closest to me. "You look quite at home." Linda wiggles deeper into the cushions and crosses her arms.

"You have a very comfortable couch. Besides, I've slept here before so it's not like I'm a stranger here."

"Point taken, do you want anything to eat?"

"Nah, I'm good."

"How about anything to drink?"

"Kate, I'm fine really. But if it'll make you feel better, I'll have a glass of water." I go to the kitchen and pour Linda a glass of water while I make myself a cup of black tea with a touch of honey.

"Are you sure this is all you want?" I ask while handing her the water.

"I'm fine. Thank you though." With Linda stretched out on the couch, I decide to sit in my recliner. Looking at her long body stretched out, shoulders against one arm while her feet are propped up on the other, I'm reminded of how tall Linda is.

"Geez, how tall are you?"

"Almost five-foot-nine, why?"

"That's ridiculous," I can tell Linda is laughing at what I said because her glass is on her stomach and there are vibrations shaking the water.

"If you think I'm tall, you should see my friend Diana. She's over six feet." The smile on my lips disappears as soon as this Diana is mentioned again. Linda notices. "Kate, you okay?"

Changing the subject is a better option that answering her. "How did you meet Diana?" The question catches her by surprise. She places her water on the coffee table and shifts so that she's sitting with her body facing mine.

"How did I meet her…?" She taps her right index finger against her lips several times before continuing. "I guess we officially met at a dinner being held in Wonder Woman's honor. Wonder Woman had made her debut and Diana was there with her now boyfriend Steve Trevor. He's the liaison between the JLA and the US government. I was chilling out on the balcony when Diana came out to catch a breath of fresh air. That's when we met. Later on, we had another run-in in New York, and after that we became close friends."

"She's a New Yorker?"

"Technically she's Greek. You know, has that whole black hair and olive skin thing going for her." Great, I'm competing with an Amazon… wait, boyfriend?

"Wait. Did you say she has a boyfriend?"

"Great job with the paying attention Katherine, and yes, she has a boyfriend." The next thing I say comes out before I have the chance to stop myself.

"What about you?"

Linda chooses not to answer my question immediately and opts to take a long sip from her water. "What about me?" I don't have to read minds to know Linda knows _exactly_ what I'm inferring.

"Are you dating anyone?"

Linda smiles softly then sets her glass on the table. "No, but I know someone who likes me." I can feel my heart beat faster.

"Is it someone I know?" She doesn't say anything but stands up and walks over to me. My heart is beating like a hummingbird's as she slides in the chair with me; the side of our legs, thighs, hips, and shoulders fully against each other's.

"Depends…"

"Depends on what?"

Linda locks eyes with me. "Depends on if she's willing to tell me how she feels."

Busted.

I close my eyes and take a breath. After picturing countless different ways about how this would go, this was not on the list. Just as I'm about to open my eyes, I feel a slight pressure on my left temple. I can't help as my eyes flutter open but all I see are dark curls.

Linda pulls away and smiles the softest and most beautiful smile I have ever seen. "I know, Kate. I've known for a while."

"H-How?" I barely whisper out.

"I'm reporter, remember?" She runs her fingers through the strands of my hair then puts her right arm around my shoulders to pull me in. It feels like I'm cuddling with a warm teddy-bear; a fit, drop-dead gorgeous teddy-bear. "So, why don't you tell me how your day went, and we'll go from there." And that is exactly what I do.

 **XXX**

When I wake up, I'm in my bed and dressed in my pajamas. I don't even remember changing into them. The clock is shining 6:00 am. I was certain I wouldn't get up until after ten since I went to bed so late, but I guess I'm meant to open the book shop today. I shuffle into the kitchen and start the percolator. Just as I turn to go back and get dressed for the day, I find a card sitting on the counter. On the front is a picture with different red-heads, it says "They say by 2056 redheads will be completely absorbed into the gene pool…" When I open the card it says, "…so I guess I should spend as much time with you as possible." I smile at the gesture and notice Linda wrote a note for me opposite the printed message.

 _Dear Katherine,_

 _Last night (or technically this morning) was one of the best times I've had in a long while. I'm afraid it will be one of our last for a long time. My flight for Qurac is being pushed forward for this afternoon. I wish we would spend more time together but my duty to the people who read the Daily Planet comes first. I promise to see you one more time before leaving. I'll be thinking of you every day while I'm gone and I hope you'll be thinking of me just as much._ _  
_ _Always,_

 _Linda_

I let the tears fall down my cheeks without bothering to wipe them away. And I'm not sure if it's because I'm sad Linda is leaving or overwhelmed with how much she cares for me. I've never met anyone like her, and I'm sure I never will. While I prepare the coffee, I reread the note until I have it memorized; from the words on the page to the way she wrote each letter. There is nothing I want to forget.

After I eat my breakfast, I get dressed in a pair of jeans, a Boston Homicide softball shirt, sneakers, and my Ray Ban sunglasses. I brush my teeth, grab my keys, and take off for the shop but not before I set the card next to the picture of my sister Beth and me when we were little.

When I get to the store, I park behind it and go in the back entrance. I take the needed cash out of the safe and get ready to let people in; though it's not like people are lining up to buy books. I pull up the blinds and flip over the open/close sign, and with a flick of the lock I wait for the few customers who will come by today to walk in the door.

It's almost 10:30 when my first customer walks in. A woman dressed in a naval officer's uniform comes in without saying a word to me and floats over to the shelves. She's tall with black hair and prescription glasses that should have died in the 80's. I watch her walk back and forth amongst the books for what feels like a while when Linda pops her head in the door.

"Hey, Kate." I go to reply but Linda keeps talking. "Have you seen anyone walk in here the past ten minutes? I'm supposed to be-"

"Linda! Back here!" yells the officer.

"Never-mind." Linda disappears in the stacks with the woman who came in earlier. I can see them move around and every so often, hear a giggle or a loud outburst from Linda. I don't know who this woman is, but I have a pretty good idea; Yeoman Diana Prince. I turn on the television and turn the channel to PGN news to distract myself. Three news segments and the weather later, Linda and Diana make their way to the counter with a stack of twelve books.

"Wow, doing some light reading?" Linda smiles at my attempt at humor but Diana doesn't move a facial muscle.

"Linda suggested I read these." The majority of the books were history related, mainly US history while a few of them were crime novels.

"I didn't know you were a history buff, Linda?"

Linda runs a hand through her curls, which look just as unkempt as they were last night, then pushes her glasses up her nose. "People try so hard to learn about other cultures when there is so much rich and beautiful history here. I was thinking of majoring in US history at Metropolis University, but plans change, and I landed with minoring in it instead and majoring in English."

"Don't forget about that second minor in journalism, Lin."

"You have a nickname for her?" I blurt out before Linda can comment on what was said. I deserve a good smack in the forehead right now.

"Of course, I do," answers Yeomen Prince. "She calls me Di and I call her Lin. I thought it was a fair trade." A 'fair trade'? Could this woman _be_ anymore dull?

"When did I start calling you that?" asks Linda. "I know it wasn't when we first met."

Yeomen Prince answers immediately. "On the island, remember? It was your first time there and we were walking on the beach and it just slipped out." Linda smiles knowingly and bumps Yeomen Prince in the shoulder with a book in her hand I didn't see before.

"I remember. I was _so_ scared too. I thought you were going to pummel me. But you just smiled, told me you liked it, and we moved on."

"Why were you scared I was going to hit you?" Linda shrugs then pushes her glasses up her nose again.

"Everyone called you Diana. Calling you something else felt like I was degrading you or lowering your authority. Looking back, I know I was being a stupid kid, but you can't blame me. You were intimidating. Still are." I'm getting tired of Linda and Yeomen Prince acting like I'm not here, so I clear my throat which brings their attention back to me. "Sorry Kate, Diana and I haven't seen each other in about a month."

I ignore her and ring up the books. I'm not sure if Linda is surprised or not by my reaction but I don't care. I don't like being ignored. While I enter the prices of the books, Linda and Yeomen Prince comment on the news.

"I spoke with Cat yesterday," says Linda. "She wondered why I kept the Colonel Kane article from Perry."

"What did you tell her?"

"I told her that something better came up and that it was unnecessary to cause such uproar over something not that important. Besides, I have this personal connection with his daughter and you know me. If it's _too_ personal, I don't let it go to print." I don't need to look up from the register to know that Linda is staring at me as she says this.

"What did Perry say?"

"Once I sent him my Intergang article, he cooled down."

"Smooth."

"That's me, Linda 'Smooth' Danvers." Just as the words leave her mouth, she steps back and almost trips over her feet. Yeomen Prince laughs at her and I do my best to keep the giggles back.

"Oh, so smooth like gravel." It is obvious humor is not Yeomen Prince's strong suit. I finish ringing up the books and tell her the price. She hands me the money and I give her back the change. "I'll see you outside," she says to Linda. As soon as the door closes, Linda slides fully into view and leans on the counter.

"I have something for you. I noticed it wasn't in your shelves and thought you might like it." Linda hands me the book that was in her hands. The thin book is the complete collection of Shakespearean sonnets. "I was perusing through your poetry section and all I could find was Walt Whitman and Sappho. You really need to widen your range of books, love." I take a deliberate breath, hidden as best as I can, with Linda's use of the pet name.

"I-I will keep that in mind."

"Good," says Linda with a smile. "I even circled my favorite one, or at least the first one I ever memorized."

"Quote it to me." Linda is surprised by my outburst. I keep having a lot of those, at least for me anyway.

"You sure?" I shake my head yes and Linda clears her throat before speaking. When she starts off, her voice is low and raspy. I've never heard her speak this way before.

"My mistress eyes are nothing like the sun,  
coral is far more red than her lips red.  
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun,  
if hair be wires black wires grow on her head.  
I have seen roses damasked red and white  
yet no such roses see I in her cheeks.  
And in some perfume is there more delight  
than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.  
I love to hear her speak yet well I know that music hath a far more pleasing sound.  
I grant I never saw a goddess go,  
my mistress when she walks reads on the ground.  
And yet by Heaven I think my love is rare,  
as any she belied with false compare."

Breathe, remember to breathe Kate. Linda, who with each phrase leaned in closer and closer to me, pulls back with a crooked smile that ends with a wink when she stops moving.

"I'm not one for quoting poetry to people. Consider yourself one of the few." I blink a few times and nod my head. Linda's smile stretches into a full grin and she taps a short cadence on the counter. "Did you see the card?"

"Yes, I loved it." I can feel the tears welling up behind my eyes, but I work to keep them back. I don't want Linda to see me cry. The look in Linda's eyes flashes that familiar softness for a moment but disappears just as quickly.

Linda suddenly leans over the counter and grabs the back of my head to pull me towards her. She gives me a long and intense kiss on the forehead, as if she will never see me again, and lets me go. I watch her as she walks to the exit. When she opens the door, she pauses for a moment then halfway turns back to me. "Oh, and Katherine…"

I snap out of my daze and focus on her. "What is it?"

Linda tilts her head slightly to the right and smiles softly at me. "I love you too." And just like that, she gives me a wink and leaves the shop.

Forty-five minutes later, Bette pops through the door with a skip and a hop. She's humming Kiss Me by Sixpence None the Richer and dances across the floor to it until she comes to a stop at the counter. "So, My B-E-A-utiful cousin, what have _you_ been up to lately?"

I think about my answer for a moment then smile. "Just getting by, cuz, just gettin' by."

* * *

 **Go read The Other Side of The Story, which is this fic from Kara's POV. OR go read Red, White, & Blonde, which is a three-part sequel. (My recommendation is The Other Side THEN RW&B, but it's up to you.)**


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